Chapter 355: Meeting the Bull Demon King Halfway, Exchanging Heartfelt Sentiments

After Sun Wukong met with Shituo Wang, he followed Yuan Hong's guidance and headed all the way toward Cangmang Mountain.

Perhaps having witnessed a formidable figure like Shituo Wang, Sun Wukong finally diminished that urge to challenge everyone he met.

The whole person became much more settled~

Although sometimes, while walking, if he happened upon some demon king that caught his eye, he would still hoist his Golden-Hooped Rod and go find them to have a fight.

But compared to before, it was already much, much better; up to now, he had only gone crazy four or five times. He spent more time chatting and laughing with Shituo Wang instead.

To put it plainly, it was because after seeing Shituo Wang's strength, the Monkey's standards had risen; he no longer felt that every demon king with decent strength was worth a fight.

At this moment, above the clouds, Sun Wukong finished a conversation with Shituo Wang and turned to look at Beiju Luzhou beneath his feet, where mountains rose like sea waves, layer upon layer of turbulent billows.

Everywhere the eye could see, there were only steep ridges and dangerous mountains, wicked waters and deep valleys, with demons and savages fighting incessantly.

Smelling the thick, iron-blooded aura of slaughter, the Monkey took a deep breath, appearing extremely satisfied, and even muttered to himself:

"I like this place, Beiju Luzhou!"

His bones were permeated with a combative nature, so naturally, he felt from the bottom of his heart that Beiju Luzhou was good.

Beside him, Shituo Wang couldn't help but laugh at Sun Wukong's appearance, thinking to himself that this one was truly born with a nature suited to be a demon~

Clearly, everything he had learned, whether it be cultivation methods or divine abilities, was as orthodox as could be, yet he happened to possess such a demonic disposition.

There really is no one else like him~ Just as he was preparing to say something, he suddenly sensed something. He looked up and saw ripples of water spreading in the air, and then a strange beast appeared before his eyes~ This strange beast looked like a qilin, with a dragon's mouth, lion's head, fish scales, ox tail, tiger claws, and deer antlers; its whole body was crimson red, and it stepped on golden light that bloomed like flowers~

It was nothing else but a well-known mount in the Earth Immortal Realm—the Bishui Jinjing Beast.

A look of pleasant surprise couldn't help but appear on his face~

For sitting atop this Bishui Jinjing Beast was a tall and mighty man.

This man wore an Iron Helmet, was clad in Golden Armor, wore Deer Skin Boots on his feet, had a Treasure Belt tied around his waist, his mouth was like a basin of blood, his teeth were like copper plates, and he held an Iron Staff in his hand.

He was awe-inspiring and filled with a murderous aura.

Who else could it be but his good elder brother—the Dali Bull Demon King?

"Brother Niu!"

Shituo Wang strode forward to meet him.

"Haha~"

Niu Mowang let out a hearty laugh, leaped down from his mount, the Bishui Jinjing Beast, came before Shituo Wang, patted his shoulder, and said:

"Little Brother Shituo, long time no see!"

His face was full of smiles and he looked amiable, yet a flash of worry passed through his eyes, though it vanished in an instant and was not revealed to others.

The person his sect had arranged for him to befriend was right before him, and since the matter regarding his own little brother had already happened, he would deal with it later~

"And this is?"

Niu Mowang looked at Sun Wukong, who was trailing ten or so steps behind Shituo Wang, and asked a question he already knew the answer to.

Seeing Niu Mowang ask, Shituo Wang stepped aside and introduced them: "Brother Niu, let me introduce you to a newly met friend~"

Having said that, he turned his head and said to Sun Wukong: "Didn't you always want to befriend the true heroes of our Demon Clan? This is the one!"

He then signaled for the monkey to come forward,

And introduced him: "This is the Dali Bull Demon King from Xiniu Hezhou. He is exceptionally bold, possesses peerless divine strength, and is a true king of the Demon Clan, a remarkable hero. His strength is even above my own."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong jumped over in a few strides, scratching his ears and cheeks; he could sense the massive power within this Dali Bull Demon King whom Shituo Wang praised so highly.

It was as vast as the Abyssal Sea, with no end in sight.

This must be the strongest demon king he had seen so far. Just the trace of Aura he occasionally leaked made him tremble with fear~ "I have met the Dali Bull Demon King. I am the Handsome Monkey King Sun Wukong of Huaguo Mountain. Please offer me your guidance in the future~"

Although he felt a bit constrained facing Niu Mowang, the monkey couldn't help but jump on the spot while introducing himself, acting very lively~ It was the nature of a macaque, inherently unable to stay still.

"Handsome Monkey King Sun Wukong."

Niu Mowang looked Sun Wukong up and down, just as he had appeared in the images passed down by his sect: a thunder-god face, long fur, and a body that kept hopping about.

He just didn't know where the "handsome" part came from; perhaps, among monkeys, he was a handsome man? Niu Mowang, whose aesthetic sense was different, complained inwardly, but his face wore a fresh and natural smile that made him seem exceptionally approachable.

Immediately following that,

He pulled Sun Wukong over and patted his shoulder hard several times. The monkey didn't budge, not hurt in the slightest, and Niu Mowang laughed heartily, praising him:

"Not bad! A powerful demon body with divine strength. That's how it should be! We men of the Demon Clan must be like this! We can't be like some sissy~"

What great strength! Sun Wukong only felt his shoulder being patted until it was sore, numb, and painful, but he endured it without a word, maintaining a chest-out, head-high posture.

This Dali Bull Demon King was a figure even Shituo Wang praised to the skies; he couldn't lose face in front of him~

He certainly is one who cares about face! Niu Mowang knew exactly how much force he had used, and seeing the monkey endure the pain in silence without a peep, he couldn't help but think to himself.

He had originally only come to make contact with this monkey because of his sect's instructions, but now, he truly appreciated this monkey before him.

That's right,

Unlike ordinary people, Niu Mowang didn't think caring about face was a flaw. On the contrary, in his view, a true man should care about face.

As the saying goes, a man sheds blood but not tears; even if his teeth are knocked out, he must swallow them. If one doesn't even care about face, what kind of man is he, what kind of hero? It's hard to say if his train of thought is unique or if his values are just "correct," but if Fang Longye knew, he would definitely curse him for having a broken brain~ In this day and age, still thinking about being a hero? With these thoughts fluctuating, Niu Mowang suppressed them and began talking with Shituo Wang and Sun Wukong.

Oh, and there was also Yuan Hong, who was just a bystander on the side, though he could hardly get a word in.

Among them, Niu Mowang was naturally of a bold and unconstrained character, Shituo Wang was no less so, and the Monkey went without saying.

Although both Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang had ulterior motives regarding the monkey, they truly found themselves getting along better and better with him, a feeling of having met too late.

A feeling of having met too late from the bottom of their hearts~ Unfortunately,

This initial acquaintance was, after all, mixed with quite a bit of utilitarianism, not to mention what would come later~

Thinking of this, Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang both sighed in their hearts at the same time~

Of course,

Sighing in their hearts was one thing, but their bodies were very honest; after some conversation, Niu Mowang naturally and logically joined Sun Wukong and the others on their journey.

Together, they headed toward Fang Longye's Cangmang Mountain~

However,

Unknown to Sun Wukong and Yuan Hong, not long after they set off, Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang each separated an avatar to travel with them, while their true bodies both slipped into the dark void.

They opened up a secret location, gathered together, and began to discuss other matters.

……

"Brother Shituo, you are muddled!"

With no one around and the Heavenly Secrets masked by a secret treasure he had deployed, Niu Mowang finally stopped concealing the emotions he had felt from the start and his expression changed immediately. He pointed a finger at Shituo Wang, intending to scold him angrily, but facing this younger brother, he could not bring himself to unleash his fury, and in the end, only a sigh remained.

Yet his face remained full of heartache.

"I know you have always been troubled by your lack of background or backing," Niu Mowang said, his expression returning to normal, though he remained very agitated.

He paused, then continued: "But didn't we agree before? In some time, I would introduce you to my sect elders and give you a foundation—do you not even have this much patience?"

"Is that Brahma sect so easy to get involved with?"

Looking at the swirling Brahma script principles and the brilliant Buddhist light within Shituo Wang's body, Niu Mowang was extremely anxious. "You were born in Xiniu Hezhou; you should understand that group of bald donkeys better than I do. They are a group of demons who eat people without spitting out the bones!"

"You—sigh!"

As he spoke, Niu Mowang was so angry he could not say anything else, only sighing repeatedly. Shituo Wang hung his head; regarding Niu Mowang's reprimands and complaints, he felt not the slightest resentment in his heart, only deep gratitude.

Because he knew that his good big brother was so angry not because of any sectarian prejudice, but because he was truly looking out for his little brother.

The Brahma sect was indeed not a good place, especially for him, a member of the Demon Clan.

In fact, the entire process of him being recruited by the Brahma sect was hard to put into words; there was no lack of enticement, but there was also no shortage of coercion. But what could he say? Although his good big brother had some background and seemed highly valued by his sect elders, he was merely a Shangqing Sect member of neither high nor low status. Even if he spoke out, what use would it be?

An arm cannot twist a thigh.

It would only bring useless worry!

Moreover, besides coercion, there was also enticement.

And facing the enticements offered by the people of the Brahma sect, it was not as if he had no thoughts on the matter. "Brother Niu—"

Niu Mowang was deep in thought, searching for a strategy to help his little brother escape his predicament, when he heard Shituo Wang call him and immediately looked up.

Seeing Niu Mowang return to his senses, Shituo Wang said sincerely: "I have made Brother Niu worry, but Brother Niu really does not need to spend so much effort on me—"

He organized his thoughts and continued: "Brother Niu, you know that I was originally born as an ordinary lion at Shituo Ling, and it was only after receiving the incense of the Human Clan that I gained intelligence—"

Niu Mowang nodded; he was naturally aware of this, and he even had a rough idea of what his little brother was going to say next.

Sure enough—

"But because of that, back when I was still ignorant, I had already embarked on the path of the 【Divine Immortal Path】."

"Even though my demon body still remains—"

Speaking to this point, a trace of unwillingness could not help but show in Shituo Wang's eyes. Others could choose their own path of cultivation, but the heavens had never given him the chance to choose! After a pause, he continued: "I even went back to dual-cultivate the 【Human Immortal Path】, but unfortunately, at my foundation, I still belong to the 【Divine Immortal Path】 lineage and am subject to various shackles—"

"Even though I was fortunate enough to have some opportunities later and have now reached the realm of a Taiyi True Immortal, I am still unable to completely transcend the shackles of incense—"

This is the difficulty of the 【Divine Immortal】 path.

Without attaining the Dao of Daluo, one is fundamentally unable to completely transcend the shackles of faith and incense.

But if one does not completely transcend the shackles of incense, even if one reaches the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, the foundation remains incomparably shallow, and one can never attain the Dao of Daluo.

To a certain extent, it is equivalent to a dead loop.

Of course, everything is possible.

All things retain a glimmer of survival; otherwise, would the 【Divine Immortal Path】 not be equivalent to a dead end, and how would it deserve the status of one of the 【Five Immortals】? It is just that this glimmer of survival is naturally not easy to grasp.

There are indeed some treasures or methods that can assist 【Divine Immortal Path】 cultivators in completely transcending the shackles of incense before reaching Daluo.

But each one is more precious than the last.

Not to mention others, just take the simplest and most direct one, such as the Innate Divine Dao Edict.

One only needs an Innate Divine Dao Edict and to refine it; let alone a 【Divine Immortal Path】 cultivator, even the purest incense deity could directly transform into an innate deity.

From then on, they would be free from the shackles of faith and incense—simple and direct enough, right?

But in this day and age,

If you want to get your hands on one, it is extremely difficult; without a certain background or foundation, don't even think about it.

After all, which great power's sect doesn't have a few good-for-nothing descendants? Their young masters and misses are all lining up! Would it ever be the turn of a servant like you?

Let alone Shituo Wang,

Even Niu Mowang would have no possibility of obtaining an Innate Divine Dao Edict, even though he had a distant ancestor who served as a mount for Tongtian Jiaozhu.

……

In the end, Shituo Wang clenched his fists, looked at Niu Mowang who had been listening quietly, and smiled bitterly: "I also know that joining the Brahma sect as a member of the Demon Clan is not a good choice, but for me, it is the easiest choice to get rid of the shackles of incense!"

After all, it is well known that the Brahma sect is adept at manipulating the path of karma, and the shackles of incense on a cultivator are, to put it plainly, shackles of karma.

It can be said that it is exactly their specialty.

A large part of the reason Shituo Wang accepted the recruitment of the Brahma sect people was because of this.

Niu Mowang was speechless for a moment; the Brahma sect was indeed not lying, they were truly experts in this field.

Compared to some of the methods of the Daoist sect, the Brahma sect was not only more refined in this regard but also had a cost-effectiveness that was very friendly to Divine Immortals of ordinary origin.

He came from the Shangqing Lineage and knew that even within the Heavenly Court, a large portion of Divine Immortals were gradually leaning toward Western Spirit Mountain.

The reason lies right here—

This situation is caused by the vastly different concepts between the Daoist and Brahma sects.

To put it plainly, the Daoist sect considers the Heavenly Immortal as the most noble, focuses on elite education, and pays little attention to the 【Divine Immortal】 path.

After all, the Daoist sect has always occupied the best and most geniuses, as well as the most and best resources; there are simply too many geniuses available to choose from and cultivate.

But the Brahma sect is different; since its establishment, it has never been well-off (compared to other top forces) and has always been a pauper.

They simply cannot afford the Daoist sect's model and can only play the game of winning by quantity—and the 【Divine Immortal】 path, or rather the acquired Divine Dao, plays the same game of incense and faith as the Brahma sect, making them natural targets for the Brahma sect to win over and absorb.

However, the Daoist sect is not a pushover either.

Just because they didn't value it before doesn't mean they don't value it now; even just to balance the Brahma sect, they will provide support to the 'Divine Immortal' path—

This is also the reason why Niu Mowang felt such frustration toward Shituo Wang for accepting the recruitment of the Brahma Sect.

If there had been no changes on the side of the Daoist Sect, it would have been fine; even though he is a member of the Shangqing Sect, he would have agreed with Shituo Wang's choice, as the future of the Great Dao is more important after all.

As for the fact that the Demon Clan recruited by the Brahma Sect are easily used as cannon fodder, it is not as if there is no way to resolve it; he, Niu Mowang, still has some face within the Brahma Sect.

But what is the situation now? A bright future is right before one's eyes~

And yet...

(End of this chapter)