Chapter 370: Gathering at Huaguo Mountain to Swear Brotherhood; Arm Wrestling to Determine the Eldest

"That's right!"

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "We have come from the four corners of the world; it is not easy for us to gather together, and it is even rarer to feel like old friends at first sight. Why don't we simply swear an oath of brotherhood? From now on, we can support one another and help each other progress~"

"If word of this gets out, it will also be a fine tale."

Fang Longye was even more surprised upon hearing this. He had been with this Monkey for some time now, and these words did not sound like something a monkey could say~

"Is this your own idea, worthy younger brother?"

Sun Wukong scratched his head upon hearing this and said bashfully, "Hmm~ it was suggested by the four old apes under my command—Marshals Ma and Liu and Generals Beng and Ba~ But I, Old Sun, think so too~"

Oh, so that's it! Fang Longye nodded, lowered his head to ponder in secret, his gaze shifting with a glimmer of realization. He feared that someone had come to "point out the path" to the Monkey again~

Thoughts flashed like lightning. Fang Longye raised his head, and the colors in the entire hall became vivid, possessing a clarity like wiping dust from a bronze mirror.

"Since you are willing, worthy younger brother, then I, as your elder brother, will naturally agree to your idea~"

Fang Longye nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

"Haha! Then many thanks to you, elder brother, for your high regard!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was so happy he jumped up.

Huaguo Mountain, in the early afternoon. The waterfall faced the stone bridge, empty and misty; the bamboo leaves carried the scent of rain, the accumulated greenery like jade.

Clusters of exotic flowers were in full bloom, reflecting a patch of red and emitting a fragrance that soaked into one's clothes, rich and fragrant.

One could see that on the branches, on the stones, and all over Huaguo Mountain, colorful ribbons were tied, fluttering and swaying.

Apes, macaques, long-tailed monkeys, short-tailed monkeys—thousands upon thousands of monkeys, regardless of age or size, were all wearing festive clothes, either in groups of three or five, or five or six together, playing music.

It was nothing else;

These monkeys were celebrating the fact that their Great King was about to swear an oath of brotherhood with Fang Longye, Niu Mowang, and the others~

Actually, according to Sun Wukong's original intention, the oath was to be taken at Fang Longye's Cangmang Mountain, but Fang Longye naturally rejected his proposal~ It was not because he feared the Monkey would rebel against Heaven and implicate him later, nor was it because he feared being too conspicuous, but rather that the location of the oath-taking determined who would be the leader.

And since this oath-taking was born because of this monkey, what would it look like to hold it at his Cangmang Mountain?

The karma that needed to be borne just from the issue of primary and secondary status was vastly different~ Therefore, after some discussion, it was finally decided to choose Sun Wukong's Huaguo Mountain as the location for everyone's oath-taking.

The Monkey naturally did not know the hidden reasons; he only thought that Fang Longye was showing him high regard, and he felt he had a lot of face, so he was incredibly happy~ As soon as he returned to Huaguo Mountain, he ordered his monkey descendants to decorate the venue properly, wanting to hold a grand and spectacular event~ "It's so lively!"

For some reason, Mihou Wang and the Yu-Rong King were very close, and the two of them arrived together.

Mihou Wang was also a monkey, and seeing the monkeys all over the mountains and plains beating drums and gongs made him feel particularly close to them. Coupled with his personality, he had been hopping and skipping the whole way.

He looked incredibly lively~ However, the Yu-Rong King, despite also being a monkey, had a very steady personality. His gaze was deep, as if he were in deep thought, giving people a feeling that he was difficult to fathom.

It was unknown how these two monkeys with such diametrically opposed personalities had become so close~

Boom! A golden light burst forth from the Water Curtain Cave and spread out in the air, revealing Sun Wukong's figure, who then rushed toward Mihou Wang and the Yu-Rong King.

After doing several somersaults, he pulled his two kin tightly and laughed, "The two elder brothers have arrived! What do you think of my Huaguo Mountain?"

"It is naturally a place of divine beauty and creation~"

The Yu-Rong King did not stint on his praise, and of course, this was the truth; there were not many famous mountains and great rivers in the world that could compare to Huaguo Mountain~ Mihou Wang, on the other hand, began to shout, "I didn't expect that although your strength is mediocre, your cultivation site is truly first-class~"

Sun Wukong was not annoyed, only laughing "hehe," looking like he was showing off. Although this monkey loved face, he would admit to facts.

He was indeed inferior in skill and could not beat the two kin before him, so he had nothing to say.

The three monkeys chatted and laughed,

Occasionally teasing some of the little monkeys in Huaguo Mountain; it could be said they were getting along very happily~

Before long, Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang also arrived together. As soon as they met, Niu Mowang gave Sun Wukong a bear hug, appearing very enthusiastic.

After a while, Fang Longye, Jiao Mowang, and Peng Mowang also arrived together.

"Haha~ I'm late, I'm late! Sorry, I'm late!" As soon as Fang Longye arrived at Huaguo Mountain, he smiled and cupped his hands in apology.

"I was just dragging these two brothers to my other residence, Kanyuan Mountain, for a detour, which delayed some time and kept everyone waiting. My apologies~"

"It's fine, we haven't been here long~"

After some pleasantries, Fang Longye and the others went together into the Water Curtain Cave. Inside, a banquet had already been set, with fine wine, delicacies, fruits, and rare treats, dazzling to the eyes.

However, the auspicious time had not yet arrived, so they took their seats to drink and enjoy themselves for the time being.

After everyone was seated, they saw Sun Wukong order his subordinates to beat drums and sound gongs. Before long, the various demon kings of Huaguo Mountain all arrived together.

It was because the Monkey felt it wasn't lively enough and had specially summoned them to watch the ceremony.

"Ahem—" After three rounds of drinks, Shituo Wang was flushed with wine and said, "Brothers, it's not that I, Old Shizi, am being a busybody, but an oath of brotherhood naturally requires an order of seniority. We must rank ourselves! I don't know if we should rank by age or by ability?"

Fang Longye glanced at him, thinking to himself that this old lion was truly loyal to Niu Mowang.

He saw clearly that these words of Shituo Wang were exactly at the instigation of Niu Mowang~ "Naturally, we should rank by ability. The path of cultivation is boundless; those who achieve it first are the leaders!" Sun Wukong said with a hiccup.

It was not that he was afraid of being the youngest.

During this time, he had learned plenty about the abilities of these elder brothers and had long had a clear understanding of his own strength~

It could be said that he had long been prepared to be the youngest.

The Monkey said this truly out of his own perspective, without a shred of selfishness~

"Good! Then I nominate Big Brother Niu Mo to be the eldest. Does anyone have any objections?"

Shituo Wang struck while the iron was hot.

"I have an objection!" Jiao Mowang immediately opposed, "Young Lord Yuanlong has a lofty status and a noble origin; only choosing him as the eldest brother makes sense~"

"That's right! I think so too~"

Peng Mowang immediately echoed his senior brother.

The Yu-Rong King also spoke up:

"Although Big Brother Niu Mo has great Dharma power and extraordinary ability, and his background is also good, I still think Brother Yuanlong is more suitable to be this eldest brother~"

Seeing that the Yu-Rong King had chosen Fang Longye as the eldest, Mihou Wang also followed suit and spoke:

"Since that is the case, I also choose Young Lord Yuanlong."

Seeing Fang Longye "the choice of the masses," for a moment, Niu Mowang's expression became very unsightly.

Sun Wukong was speechless at this; damn it, it hadn't even started yet, and they were already sitting here in a row.

Had they considered my feelings?

The Monkey might lack experience, but that didn't mean the Monkey was stupid; he could see even this much. Born too late, indeed! Otherwise, if he had cultivated for a few more years, no matter what, he would have had to contend for the title of eldest brother!

"Um, isn't it supposed to be ranked by ability? How did it turn into an election~"

Sun Wukong said in a low voice while sitting in his seat.

Although he also agreed with Yuanlong Jun being the eldest brother—after all, Yuanlong Jun had taken good care of him, and even the golden-hooped rod in his hand was obtained with his help—but since he had already spoken his mind, if they just held an election without even comparing their skills, would he have any face left! "Hahaha!"

Fang Longye set down his Wine Cup and laughed loudly: "The Monkey King speaks reasonably. We men of the Demon Clan don't play those superficial games; we go for real, hard-hitting strength. Let strength do the talking; the capable come first!"

"Good!"

Sun Wukong applauded and cheered,

"Brother Yuanlong speaks reasonably! He has spoken right to my heart!"

Fang Longye was indeed one to say what people wanted to hear; despite being a Young Lord of the Dragon Clan, he kept saying "our Demon Clan" here—"Brother Niu Mo, what do you think?"

Fang Longye pointed, and the wine pot flew up automatically to pour a cup of wine for Niu Mowang. He smiled, looking graceful and composed as he said: "As for the strength of the other brothers, after traveling together for this period, we already have a good idea in our hearts~"

"It is only me; having recently been a newlywed, I was inseparable from my wives and could only follow the brothers with an avatar, so I haven't shown my strength yet!"

"How about we two brothers go outside and find a spacious place to spar?"

That was truly killing the heart!

He was indeed well-versed in the way of black-heartedness; his attitude seemed sincere, but in reality, it was killing the heart—just look,

As soon as Niu Mowang heard the words "newlywed" and "inseparable," the image of Iron Fan Princess's every smile and frown appeared in his mind, and his eyes turned red instantly! Although he had already given up his thoughts on Iron Fan Princess years ago when he established his residence at Banana Cave—

But in these past few years, recalling the short ten-plus days he spent with Iron Fan Princess, he always felt regret and longing in his heart—

That feeling was as if, in the dark, Iron Fan Princess should have been his wedded wife.

This was also the reason why he insisted on competing with Fang Longye in this regard, not just because the ranking of the sworn brotherhood would affect his fortune to a certain extent.

Seeing Niu Mowang's eyes turn red, Fang Longye snorted coldly in his heart, thinking: "Good for you, old ox; as expected, you are still pining for my Lady Tie Shan!"

He had only had a sudden inspiration, remembering the look in Niu Mowang's eyes toward him and Iron Fan Princess at the wedding banquet, and said it casually to test him.

Who would have thought!

Old ox, oh old ox, I even praised you for being broad-minded before! I am about to swear brotherhood with you, and you are still pining for my woman?

Have you never heard that a friend's wife should not be trifled with? Just right,

Let's use this to have a fight, give you a good lesson, and see if you dare to pine for my Iron Fan Princess again!

However, to Fang Longye's surprise, the red in Niu Mowang's eyes gradually faded away, returning to normal, and he smiled: "Today is a beautiful day with good scenery, accompanied by good friends, and there is fine wine and food. Dancing with knives and guns is really not beautiful and easily hurts the harmony. How about this—"

"Let us each display a signature divine ability and have a contest. The winner becomes the eldest, and the loser is punished with three cups of wine and settles for second place. How about that?"

"This way of fighting is good, I agree!"

"Agreed!" "Not bad!"

"Agreed!"

"..."

Everyone else agreed, the minority follows the majority, and besides, although he didn't know what medicine Niu Mowang was selling in his gourd, Fang Longye could not lose his standing.

Thus, he naturally nodded in agreement as well~

"Then let me go first!"

Niu Mowang smiled and said to those around him: "I don't have any powerful divine abilities, I just have relatively great strength! Let's just compare arm wrestling!"

So that's what he was waiting for!

Fang Longye thought to himself.

This Niu Mowang was, after all, a figure of standing in Xiniu Hezhou, and he had some understanding of his relevant information—

Was this Niu Mowang's strength just "relatively great"?

Dali Bull Demon King, Dali Bull Demon King; just from his title being crowned with the two words "Great Strength," it was enough to explain many things—

This Niu Mowang specialized in the Law of Strength, and his immense power was peerless. Otherwise, how could he have a seat in the Shangqing Lineage and be favored by the higher-ups?

Arm wrestling might seem like a joke, but wasn't it also his strong suit? The light hanging from the dome,

sparse into threads, condensing into beads, illuminating everything, passing through the stone railing beside Niu Mowang, mottling into shadows, falling on his face, covering the strange look in his eyes.

To be honest, if they really fought with real knives and guns as Yuanlong Jun said, he might not necessarily be his opponent—

Even though he was a Taiyi Golden Immortal and the other party was only a Taiyi True Immortal, and had been a Taiyi Loose Immortal just a few years ago.

No choice, who told the other party to have a deeper background than him! If the cultivation level is not enough, make up for it with Spirit Treasure—

He was an orthodox disciple of the Profound Gate; he had seen and heard of too many precedents!

As long as one has not attained the Daluo, the boost a good Spirit Treasure gives to one's combat power is huge, almost enough to overturn the gap in strength between the two.

No, even if one has attained the Daluo, as long as the Spirit Treasure is strong enough, one can still win against the strong with the weak. For example, a Primordial Spirit Treasure—a Taiyi could chase a Daluo around while holding one. And with Yuanlong Jun's background, especially since he married three "rich and beautiful" women, he now had more than just one good divine weapon or Spirit Treasure on him! It is estimated that if all the heavy treasures on Yuanlong Jun were taken out, they could crush him to death—

Well, even if "crushing to death" is an exaggeration, it is foreseeable that he could be crushed flat.

Thus, he naturally had to take advantage! He was of the Xiantian Man-niu Chuzu Bloodline, born as a good seedling for the path of strength, and what he was most proud of was this strength of his.

Having cultivated for so long, he had never met anyone in the same realm who could beat him in pure strength!

Especially when the Xiantian Man-niu Chuzu followed Qilin Huang, dominating Honghuang, relying solely on that brute force to tear apart dragons and phoenixes as easily as slaughtering snakes or chickens.

It is said that among the physically strong Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan, there were countless Daluo who were beaten to death by the Xiantian Man-niu Chuzu with brute force—he just didn't believe it,

Could this Yuanlong Jun be better than his Xiantian Man-niu clan in terms of strength? Fang Longye naturally could not hear Niu Mowang's inner voice, but he had guessed his intentions well enough.

However, he was not afraid; he was equally confident in his own strength.

After all, he had never once set aside his cultivation of the physical body over these years, even though the physical body was no longer so important once he reached the Taiyi Realm.

Not to mention that he had practiced both Dharma and body cultivation from the very beginning,

the good fortune he had specifically seized since he began to grow had alone given him achievements in strength that ordinary people could hardly imagine—arm wrestling? That was truly underestimating him!

Just like that, Niu Mowang and Fang Longye, each harboring their own thoughts, set up a ring on a giant rock inside Water Curtain Cave and began to arm wrestle.

In a way that was so absurd it bordered on a joke, yet faintly revealed a hint of reason, they began to vie for the position of the sworn elder brother.

(End of this chapter)