Chapter 354: Eve of the Wedding: A Single Staff Halts the Conflict

Cangmang Mountain,

is filled with floating pavilions and high terraces, towers reflecting in the glow, with fiery red lanterns hanging under the eaves, plastered with large "Double Happiness" characters—red, vibrant, auspicious, and dazzling.

Flowers bloom all around, petals of deep red, exhaling auspicious and propitious Qi, thin and continuous, visible to the naked eye, manifesting as colorful clouds, with a faint, precious fragrance.

Mist and clouds permeate, from outside to inside, as if draping the entire Cangmang Mountain in a festive veil.

Ding-ding-dang, ding-ding-dang, ding-ding-dang.

Joyful and pleasant music drifts out, long and lingering, flowing from dawn to dusk, entwining lingeringly.

Whoever hears it, there is a sense of festive joy between their brows.

It is the auspicious and propitious Qi interacting with the void, shimmering with floating colors, with wondrous sounds rising one after another.

There are still two or three years before Fang Longye officially holds his wedding, so there are not many guests who have come to offer congratulations yet. The group of subordinates arranged to do the work are still relatively relaxed.

They come and go one by one, men and women alike, all wearing festive clothes, either in groups of three or five, or gathered in tens, chatting and laughing.

Clearly,

they have not yet truly thrown themselves into their work—of course, this is not to say that there are no outsiders on Cangmang Mountain at this moment who have come to offer congratulations.

As mentioned before, with Fang Longye's current status as a Young Lord of the Dragon Clan, and the fact that he is marrying three wives of extraordinary backgrounds, the momentum is naturally not small.

There will be no shortage of people coming early to offer congratulations, and there are also quite a few small demons from Beiju Luzhou who have heard the news of Yuanlong Jun's marriage and have come to freeload.

The former naturally arrive one after another and have long been personally received by Fang Longye, settled into the arranged guest houses and courtyards, waiting quietly for the wedding to officially begin—as for the latter, although it is a joyous day and one would not be petty, for these small demons who ran here from outside to freeload, one should not expect anyone to receive or serve them.

In fact, they cannot even enter the Longyuan River.

They are just specially arranged at the Wanling Workshop, served some wine and meat, and given some "Shopping Vouchers" for the Wanling Workshop, and that is how they are dismissed—of course, these small demons, who had no expectations to begin with and whose purpose was just to freeload, have no complaints; eating and drinking, amusing themselves, is also quite good—as a small demon,

if you want to live a long life, you must have self-awareness.

……

In Longying Cave,

Fang Longye, as the main host, is not as leisurely as his group of subordinates who were arranged to work for his wedding—(Subordinates: Leisurely? Damn it!) At this moment, he is entertaining two distinguished guests.

Both are old acquaintances, yet it is the long-unseen Jiao Mowang and Peng Mowang—"It has been years, I never thought the two of you would have such significant changes," Fang Longye could not help but exclaim while chatting and laughing.

It is truly not flattery; these words are truly heartfelt, spoken involuntarily.

Not to mention Jiao Mowang, he was already a Golden Immortal when they first met, and now that his cultivation has advanced to the rank of Taiyi Loose Immortal, it is still understandable.

The key is Peng Mowang, who was only a True Immortal at the beginning, but in such a short time, he has jumped three levels and is also a Taiyi Loose Immortal.

Is there any justice left? He himself has been "cheating" all the way, and yet he is only a Taiyi True Immortal now.

"Young Lord is joking, how can these meager achievements compare to yours?" Jiao Mowang took a deep breath, a strange light flashing in his eyes, and shook his head.

He knew that the person before him was extraordinary, but he did not expect that in such a short time, this person would have become a Young Lord of the Dragon Clan.

It is truly unexpected.

"That's right—"

Peng Mowang, who was holding a wine pot to the side, heard Jiao Mowang's flattery and hurriedly echoed:

"Compared to you, Brother Yuanlong, the changes in me and Senior Brother Jiao Mowang really count for nothing."

Hearing this, Fang Longye began to smile, chuckled a few times, and was just about to say something when he seemed to sense something and suddenly let out an "eh."

At the same time, he turned his head to look into the void, an inexplicable expression appearing on his face.

"This is," Fang Longye's divine sense was like a mirror, reflecting the scene countless billions of miles away, where two figures were fighting together.

"That monkey head from Huaguo Mountain and Shituo Wang!"

It is just that he is in his own Daoist temple, and his mind is merged with the Earth Vein; even across a distance of billions of billions of miles, any movement there is clear to him.

And the place where the two are fighting is neither too far nor too close to Cangmang Mountain, coupled with the entanglement of cause and effect in the void, it naturally attracted his attention in an instant.

"This Shituo Wang has actually defected to the Buddhist sect?"

Fang Longye does not care how the two of them bumped into each other, but is very concerned about the changes in this Shituo Wang, whom he knew before.

He sees it clearly; unlike before, there is an extra layer of thick Buddhist flavor on Shituo Wang, and although it is hidden, it can still be perceived.

Under the "Insight of the Void," one can see that the void above his head is filled with Buddhist sounds and chants, coming in layers, even condensing into a Necklace Canopy and a Relic Lotus.

"The Buddhist sect is truly shameless!"

Thinking that in the original trajectory, this Shituo Wang was the monkey's fourth sworn brother, the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains, Fang Longye thought of the present and could not help but spit.

Truly stingy enough! To save that little bit of Merit and Luck, they really went to great pains.

As mentioned before, swearing brotherhood with the monkey Sun Wukong is essentially to undertake the compensation and benefits that the Buddhist sect spat out for the sake of its great prosperity on behalf of the forces behind them.

But now Shituo Wang has been taken in by the Buddhist sect as one of their own; isn't this equivalent to moving from the left hand to the right? I wonder how the other forces allowed it—seeing Fang Longye like this,

Jiao Mowang and Peng Mowang naturally followed suit, casting their gazes over along the trajectory.

The same scene was reflected in their eyes.

"This is?"

"That Great Sage Equaling Heaven?"

The two brothers were both stunned. Isn't this the target they were going to swear brotherhood with!

Seeing the two of them acting strangely, Fang Longye came back to his senses and muttered in his heart, and these two, from the same sect, isn't this just taking more and eating more!

It can only be said that he was indeed a bit mistaken.

Do not look at Jiao Mowang and Peng Mowang as being from the same sect; in fact, the forces they represent are not the same.

If it were in the original trajectory, without his interference, the force represented by Jiao Mowang would be the Dragon Clan, which is completely different from the Beiming Palace represented by Peng Mowang.

And now, it is actually the same.

The latter still represents the Beiming Palace, but the force represented by the former has changed to the Demon Master Mansion.

Although they are all of the Demon Clan, and the Demon Master Mansion is headed by the Demon Master Kunpeng, this does not mean that the Demon Master Mansion and the Beiming Palace are the same force.

The two have always been distinct and cannot be mentioned in the same breath.

By the same token, don't be fooled by the fact that Shituo Wang is currently radiating Buddhist light; it is not certain that he has been recruited by the Brahma sect.

Or rather, he has not been recruited by the orthodox Brahma sect that holds Tathagata Buddha in high esteem.

……

Beiju Luzhou,

Shituo Wang held back, accompanying Sun Wukong as they fought from morning until noon, from noon until evening, and then until the next morning, fighting for a full day and night.

Sun Wukong was full of spirit, feeling completely refreshed, his martial arts honed to an even greater level of perfection.

The staff techniques that he had originally wielded based on brute instinct gradually gained structure and a style uniquely his own during the sparring with Shituo Wang.

As for Shituo Wang, he was somewhat bored. After all, the difference in cultivation realms was clear. Even if the Divine Immortal Path could not compare to the Heavenly Immortal Path, and even if Sun Wukong's combat talent was off the charts, the gap between a Taiyi True Immortal and a Golden Immortal was obvious and insurmountable.

Seeing that the fight with the Monkey had gone on long enough, Shituo Wang immediately decided to end this scuffle.

Suddenly, his aura erupted; his entire body radiated a magnificent golden light, rising up and shining so brilliantly that it could rival the sun in the sky.

He laughed heartily, his voice shaking the heavens, and said, "Monkey, I've played enough, I'm not playing with you anymore!"

Amidst his laughter, he swung his arms, and the wrought iron staff in his hand let out a boom as he smashed it toward Sun Wukong.

The iron staff descended, simple and solemn, heavy and steady, like the shadows of ten thousand mountains, layer upon layer, pressing down and filling every space.

Seeing this, Sun Wukong's heart skipped a beat, but he gritted his teeth and parried with his Ruyi Golden Cudgel; however, the overwhelming Great Strength was like the five sacred mountains crashing down, impossible to resist.

Boom! With a loud crash, dust flew, and a massive hole appeared in the ground, deep and bottomless like an abyss.

It was Sun Wukong, having been smashed deep into the ground by Shituo Wang, who had finally used his true ability.

Rumble—a golden light burst from the depths of the earth, and a monkey figure leaped out, though his body swayed as if he were drunk.

The Monkey had been struck so hard by Shituo Wang's staff that he saw stars, and his sea of consciousness felt as if a Buddhist ritual was being held inside, with all sorts of blowing and beating sounds coming one after another, leaving him dizzy.

Sparks, sounds, and colors, like a painting, rushed into his vision, making him unable to even stand steady.

Leaning his Golden Cudgel on the ground, Sun Wukong struggled to stand straight and said defiantly, "Again!"

Seeing this, Shituo Wang shook his head and laughed, immediately pinching his fingers to form a seal, summoning the Wuyue Divine Mountain Essence, which transformed into a towering mountain range and pressed down upon the stubborn Monkey.

Boom! The Monkey was pressed flat onto the ground, and no matter how he struggled, he could not break free from the suppression of the mountains.

Creak, creak—

His body emitted a series of creaking sounds, as if it had reached its limit.

"I surrender! I surrender! Old Sun surrenders!"

Sun Wukong shouted out, no longer being stubborn.

Seeing this, Shituo Wang immediately withdrew his hand.

Seeing him stop, the Monkey quickly leaped out of the area, took his Golden Cudgel behind his back, and looked at Shituo Wang with a complex expression.

After catching his breath for a while, he spat out a mouthful of Turbid Qi, stared fixedly at Shituo Wang, and suddenly spoke:

"Today I have finally met a true hero. I am Sun Wukong, the Handsome Monkey King of Huaguo Mountain in Dongsheng Shenzhou. May I ask what your name is, Excellency?"

Shituo Wang had not expected that after truly admitting defeat, the Monkey would be so magnanimous and appear to have no resentment at all.

He was stunned for a moment, then reacted, his eyes flickering as he replied, "I am Shituo Wang of Xiniu Hezhou."

"Xiniu Hezhou? Shituo Wang?"

Sun Wukong muttered a few times, his eyes brightening, and he continued to ask, "I, Old Sun, was invited to attend the wedding of Dragon Lord Yuanlong. I wonder what you, Brother Shituo, are doing here in Beiju Luzhou?"

Shituo Wang put away his wrought iron staff and walked up to Sun Wukong, each step feeling as if a mountain were following him. Hearing Sun Wukong's words, he glanced at him and said, "That is a coincidence! I am also here by invitation to attend the wedding of Dragon Lord Yuanlong~"

Sun Wukong couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh, saying, "That really is a coincidence! Why don't we travel together?"

He didn't take the previous conflict to heart at all, instead pulling over Yuan Hong, who was to the side, and saying:

"This Brother Yuan is a capable subordinate of Dragon Lord Yuanlong and is well-versed in the affairs of Beiju Luzhou~"

Yuan Hong smiled obsequiously, "Not at all, not at all~"

Shituo Wang naturally would not refuse Sun Wukong's invitation, so he immediately nodded to Yuan Hong and said, "Then I shall trouble the honorable envoy!"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare~"

Facing Shituo Wang, Yuan Hong naturally lacked the composure he had in front of Sun Wukong, appearing very restrained and wearing a face full of smiles.

He knew deep down,

This person was definitely a great demon king of the Taiyi Realm, and his friendly demeanor toward him was purely out of respect for the Handsome Monkey King and his own master.

Otherwise, such a great demon king would not be so easy to talk to when dealing with him.

There was nothing to pack, so after the Monkey finished adjusting his breath, they set off immediately.

However, before leaving, Shituo Wang remembered something and politely asked Yuan Hong:

"I wonder about the previous Mountain Lord of this mountain..."

Before he finished speaking, Yuan Hong, that old fox, naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind his words~

He was worried that the wretch Tianlang had some relationship with his master, such as being a vassal or paying tribute,... that would be awkward~

He immediately said:

"Shituo Wang, rest assured, that wretch Tianlang has no relationship with my master, and in fact, he once offended my master!"

"It is just that my master is a magnanimous person who does not hold grudges against petty people; Shituo Wang's actions are truly gratifying to the people~"

Only the first half of his words were true; the master of this Xiaoyue Mountain indeed had nothing to do with Fang Longye.

After all, although the distance from Cangmang Mountain to this place was not far for a Taiyi, it was still a significant distance for a Golden Immortal.

Fang Longye had not achieved the Taiyi Realm for long, and before that, he would not have had any dealings with the master of this Xiaoyue Mountain—even after achieving the Taiyi Realm, the deepest connection between the two was at most that the master of this Xiaoyue Mountain had visited Wanling Market a few times over the years to purchase items.

But the second half was nonsense; Yuan Hong was completely flattering Shituo Wang.

Shituo Wang, as a rogue cultivator who had fought his way up, was naturally extremely experienced and could tell that Yuan Hong's words were half-truth and half-false.

He even knew exactly what was true and what was false.

He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; it was good that there was no relationship. Originally, he had thought that when he went to Cangmang Mountain, he would offer a gift of apology regardless of anything else.

He did not care whether this fellow who died by his hand had any connection to that young lord.

Otherwise, if there really were a connection, it would truly be unjustifiable. Coming to attend someone's wedding, only to kill their subordinate along the way—not to mention offending them, it would not look good on his own face if word got out! In fact, given his temperament, he would not have dealt a lethal blow so close to that young lord's Daoist temple (from the perspective of a Taiyi).

After all, at such a close distance, this wolf demon of Xiaoyue Mountain had very likely already been taken in as a subject by that young lord.

It was just that this Golden Immortal wolf demon possessed an item very useful to him, which happened to have been refined into its life-bound object.

Because of this, he could only obtain it by killing the creature.

He had no choice but to act while risking a conflict with that young lord.

Fortunately, everything was fine, and there was no conflict. Beside him, Yuan Hong lowered his eyelids, concealing the strange look in his eyes and suppressing the curiosity in his heart.

But he was as clear as a Mirror in his heart.

It seemed that fellow Tianlang had something good in his hands, enough to catch the eye of a great demon king of the Taiyi Realm, even to the point of killing to seize the treasure. To say he did not regret not discovering it sooner, or that he was not curious about what exactly that good thing in Tianlang's hands was, would be impossible.

But since things had reached this point, he dared not harbor any thoughts of investigating further—curiosity could kill a monkey!

(End of this chapter)