Chapter 481: Regarding No One Else as Worthy

"Ying Jie." Tang Luo murmured, "You've said so much, yet the most important thing you haven't said."

"This..." Chi Di Dai Li hesitated, "This little god knows what the Holy Monk wants to know, but the matter of the True Lord and the Third Princess, this little god really cannot speak of it, nor dares to speak of it."

The Third Princess mentioned refers to Yang Chan.

"Oh?" Tang Luo's gaze was deep, staring at Dai Li.

Dai Li simply stiffened his neck, closed his eyes, and said: "If the Holy Monk really wants to force it, better to just kill this little god."

"You sent a wisp of consciousness to descend into an incense avatar; death is death, what's with the pretense of righteousness?" Tang Luo said.

Dai Li helplessly opened his eyes: "Holy Monk, only the matter of the True Lord and the Third Princess truly cannot be spoken."

"Not even where they are?" Tang Luo asked.

"Cannot." Dai Li was adamant, that loyal and devoted.

Tang Luo looked at Dai Li: "Actually you also know, whether you speak or not, the final result makes no difference. What this poor monk wants to do, you cannot stop."

Dai Li's originally slightly hunched body gradually straightened, the ingratiating intent completely gone: "Holy Monk, pardon this little god for speaking bluntly, relying on just you few, us five brothers may not necessarily be afraid."

"Oh?" Tang Luo wasn't angry either.

But the calm attitude tinged with a hint of interest instantly dispelled most of the heroic ambition Dai Li had mustered.

Still, Dai Li hardened his scalp and said: "If the Great Sage were here, us five brothers even exhausting all strength couldn't stop the Holy Monk and his disciple joining forces."

"Cough." Pig Bajie coughed displeasedly beside him, can't you speak properly?

What do you mean 'if that monkey is here you can't stop us'?

So you mean me and Master joining forces, you *can* stop?

Who gave you the courage and confidence?

Dai Li glanced at Pig Bajie and said: "If this little god hasn't misread, Marshal, you're currently not in condition, correct?"

Pig Bajie nodded, calmly admitting; his injuries weren't actually that severe, but to speak of condition it truly wasn't good, unable to exert full strength.

Needs time to slowly recover.

"As for the Third Prince, though uninjured, just now defeating my Teng She was slightly strenuous, I fear..." Dai Li added.

Ao Yu Lie turned his face away, what's wrong with a mount of mine not being able to fight?

You people, want the horse to run and want the horse to fight, isn't that excessive?

"As for the Holy Monk." Dai Li narrowed his eyes, looking at Tang Luo, "This little god has never been able to see through, but ventures to guess, likewise not at peak condition, injuries severe!"

"Pa, pa, pa."

Tang Luo raised his hand, clapped three times, as praise; each clap made Dai Li's heart jump in fright.

To tell the truth, the analysis and judgment of everyone's strength wasn't something he, Dai Li, figured out.

It came from Hei Di.

Hei Di was the one who personally fought Tang Luo and them.

Now upon contact, Dai Li also believed Hei Di's judgment wasn't wrong, but for some reason, looking at the Tang Xuanzang before him.

Dai Li still couldn't suppress a feeling of dread.

"Analysis on point." Tang Luo said, "Well said, very confident, but are you sure you're the one who can survive?"

"..." Dai Li froze for a moment, his expression then turning ugly.

However confident they were, they understood being enemies with Tang Xuanzang meant paying a huge price.

Five Direction Heavenly Emperors, dying one or two wasn't groundless worry.

"Die one or two, and Yang Jian would naturally come out." Tang Luo's tone was calm.

"Holy Monk truly disregards old ties, wants to be enemies with the True Lord?" Dai Li urgently said.

Although the Mei Shan Seven Monsters were knocked down one by one by Yang Jian then subdued, by Yang Jian's character he naturally wouldn't humiliate them.

In fact leaving their lives and letting them follow by his side proves Yang Jian still acknowledges them.

Tang Luo calling them servants was deliberately mocking to enrage Hei Di Wu Long.

The Mei Shan few yaoguai saying they're Yang Jian's household generals is more fitting.

Tang Luo groundlessly killed his household general, Yang Jian certainly won't let it rest.

Tang Luo coldly laughed: "I came thousands of miles to see Yang Jian, he wouldn't even show his face, what friendship remains? Broken by himself. If it was you acting on your own initiative, losing this poor monk's face, what's wrong with using your lives to compensate?"

Arbitrary and arrogant, a thick demonic evil nature rushed over.

"Yaoseng..." Dai Li also finally understood why many people say Tang Xuanzang is a yaoseng.

"Decide." Tang Luo said, "Is it you actively bringing this poor monk to see Yang Jian, or using your own lives to prove your loyalty, leaving a story for posterity, achieving a 'fine tale'."

"Master can perhaps write a biography for you." Pig Bajie chimed in from the side.

You know, Tang Luo also holds the title of Number One Writer in the Three Realms — though self-proclaimed.

"They're not worthy." Tang Luo said.

Angering Dai Li until his incense avatar nearly destabilized, an outrageous thought instantly arose in his heart.

Why isn't the Great Sage here?

If the Great Sage were here, maybe he could still persuade a thing or two.

Marshal Tianpeng, Pure Altar Messenger, just a treacherous villain! The yaoseng says go east absolutely won't go west, wants to kill someone and he delivers the sword.

Third Prince Ao Yu Lie also only knows "I don't know anything, because I'm just a horse."

Tang Luo reached out, Dai Li's incense avatar flew over uncontrollably, grabbed by the head: "How to choose?"

"You..."

"Five..."

"Four..."

Tang Luo directly started counting down.

Not saying the most crucial information—do you want to break off mid-chapter?

And it's an endless break-off at that—I'll break your legs.

"I—I'll speak!" Finally, under immense pressure, Dai Li yielded.

After all, fate is one's own.

"But I won't say it outright; Old Jin also knows a thing or two about this." From this moment on, Jin Dasheng was no longer a brother—Dai Li sold him out decisively: "He won't help the True Lord conceal much either. If the Holy Monk wants to know, go ask him."

"You think this is an RPG game?" Tang Luo's face turned cold, "I need to get some intel—first go find A, A tells me to find B, B tells me to complete a task needing C? Playing quest chains?"

Dai Li didn't understand the first half, but he heard the second half crystal clear.

"Since you want a fig leaf, the poor monk gives you a chance—within three days, I want to see that old yellow ox. After that, this matter has nothing to do with you."

Tang Luo released Dai Li, saying nothing like "otherwise."

Dai Li knew the score.

He gave Tang Luo a dark look, then clasped his hands and said: "Alright, just as the Holy Monk said."

Tang Luo waved his hand, signaling Dai Li could leave.

Dai Li turned and walked away—hadn't taken two steps when he heard En Yu Lie ask from behind: "Master, what should we do about this Teng She?"

"Eat it, anyway—it's still a Teng She."

His form flickered, the incense incarnation scattered instantly, and a thread of consciousness fully returned.

"Too much bullying!"

"Too much bullying!"

"You brat, dare to bully me!"

Inside the Five Emperors Temple, the Red Emperor's incarnation raged helplessly, the whole temple shaking.

Outside, the sky was overcast with low, heavy clouds—even celestial phenomena were affected, divine wrath, divine might like a prison.

The guards and Daoists nearby knelt in a row, not understanding why the Heavenly Emperor was angry, each drenched in sweat, not daring to lift their heads.

"Tearing down the house?"

"If you tear down the house, how will we meet in the future?"

The other four emperors appeared one after another.

"Hmph." The Black Emperor Wu Long merely sneered coldly, even taking a bit of pleasure in the misfortune.

"Kill him! Must kill Tang Xuanzang!" The temple fell silent at once, the Red Emperor's stern voice echoing inside, not leaking out in the slightest.

"You finally understand what kind of thing that demon monk is." Wu Long said.

Dai Li said: "Arrogant and self-important, disregarding others, utterly lacking compassion—such a person, does he even deserve to become a Buddha?"

"Hahaha." The White Emperor suddenly laughed, "Otherwise, what do you think a Buddha is?"

"Alright, how's the situation? Did the plan succeed?" The Green Emperor really didn't like these people's idle chatter, getting straight to the point.

The so-called plan is actually very simple.

Just find a way to provoke conflict between the demon and Tang Luo, draining his strength.

Anyway, that demon monk slays demons as easily as eating and drinking—well, actually it's slaughter, and not limited to demons alone.

Tang Luo and company killing the Teng She was just a coincidence—the Red Emperor simply showed up to enact the plan.

"There was a deviation—the demon monk refused to budge, instead demanding we hand over that old ox within three days." Dai Li said.

"What?"

"Why did this happen?"

We were supposed to be the mantis catching the cicada, but ended up not even getting to be the oriole.

"What did you do?" The Green Emperor asked.

The Red Emperor laid everything out plainly, the other four remained silent—no wonder things turned out this way.

If it were them in his place, their performance would probably not even match the Red Emperor's.

The Red Emperor is of canine demon origin, usually seeming hot-tempered, but actually most able to endure at critical moments.

Replace him with someone else, and even the incense incarnation might not return—disagree, and they'd attack outright.

"What should we do now?" The White Emperor said in a deep voice.

"Perhaps I have a method..." The Yellow Emperor spoke up.

—

By Longze Lake, fine rain drifted in the sky.

A modern small building stood there—exactly the Cursed House.

And beside the Cursed House lay a pile of long, white bones—like a snake yet not a snake, like a flood dragon yet not a flood dragon.

Even with only bones left, a faint ferocious aura still emanated.

When Liu Shenxiang arrived, he stared at the bones, slightly doubtful, then after a while turned to Tang Luo sitting by the lake fishing and asked: "Is this, that Teng She?"

Before Tang Luo could answer, Liu Shenxiang looked toward Longze Lake again.

In the rippling lake water, a slender black shadow seemed to appear and disappear.

What was that again?

"My great-nephew has come." Zhu Bajie, holding the umbrella for Tang Luo, turned his head and smiled: "Well, this is that Teng She."

"Great-nephew..." Liu Shenxiang's expression was hard to maintain.

"We and your mother, your uncle are of the same generation—call me uncle and you won't lose out." Zhu Bajie said.

This connection—how many people want to cling to dragons and attach to phoenixes but can't manage it.

"Yeah." The black shadow in the lake surfaced.

Liu Shenxiang's face changed: "Jiao Long?"

No, it's your Uncle Ao Yulie. Ao Yulie resumed human form, and there's one more thing: he is a true dragon.

You're just messing around, making me not catch a single fish, Tang Luo said.

Master, there weren't any fish to begin with, that stupid flood dragon ate them all. Ao Yulie shrank back and protested.

A true dragon? Liu Shenxiang stared at Ao Yulie, somewhat disbelieving.

He had seen and fought jiaolong before, even slain one.

But a true dragon—even among the celestial forces, few could be found.

Ao Yulie had never revealed his true form before Luo Ze and the others, so they did not know he was actually a dragon.

There's nothing surprising about a true dragon, really just so-so. Ao Yulie said, his voice weathered, as if he had many stories.

I've arranged a meeting with the Five Directional Heavenly Emperors; in two days they will bring your uncle's former household troops to meet you. He should be able to tell us where your mother and uncle are. Would you like to come along? Tang Luo put down his fishing rod and asked Liu Shenxiang.

In the lake, a fish of unknown origin bit the hook and struggled incessantly.