Following that, Sun Wukong suggested that the immortal Fox King bring his household belongings and move to Huaguo Mountain.
The elderly Fox King gladly agreed.
However, the Fox King was ultimately a demon who could not ride the clouds and mists but could only fly with fierce winds. Additionally, his cave was filled with wealth and various treasures, which he could not take away immediately.
Sun Wukong then took some nearby hemp to craft a hemp bag the size of a palm. With a puff of immortal breath, he bestowed upon it the power of the universe, allowing it to contain mountains, rivers, the sun, and the moon with a single command.
The entire property of the cave was nothing to speak of anymore.
Having received the Qiankun Bag, the immortal Fox King was endlessly grateful.
Afterward, Sun Wukong recited a spell, and a white cloud rose from below, lifting the immortal Fox King and the jade-faced little fox, and carrying them toward Huaguo Mountain.
"This journey seems to be somewhat fruitful,"
Sun Wukong thought to himself that he had managed to subdue the Bull Demon King's future father-in-law and concubine, saving them from their fated demise, and he felt quite peculiar.
Following that, he leaped into the sky, somersaulted, and headed toward Mountain of Mind and Heart, Three Star Cave . . .
Above the clouds, the jade-faced little fox curiously touched the cloud beneath her, finding it very soft, and asked the immortal Fox King, "Daddy, am I to be that monkey's servant girl?"
The expression of the immortal Fox King changed as he sternly said, "That's a celestial being! At the very least, you must call him 'Great King'!"
"Oh,"
The jade-faced little fox asked, "Is he more powerful than the Bull Demon King?"
She often heard the maids say that the Bull Demon King was the strongest demon king, possessed great strength, and could make women and children terribly happy.
The immortal Fox King said, "That Bull Demon King indeed has vast divine powers and appears to be righteous, but after all, he is a demon who feeds on humans and allies with various demon kings. Who knows when heaven will decide to exterminate him."
"However, the Monkey King is different; he is pure, dignified, and solemn; his body radiates a holy light, reflecting the universe, and he is bound to become either an immortal or a Buddha."
"How could that mere Bull Demon compare to him?"
"And to speak of divine skills, he made a bag from hemp that can contain all the elements of the universe. How could the Bull Demon King ever compare to that?"
The jade-faced little fox pondered this.
No matter how powerful the Bull Demon King was, he was still a demon king of the earthly realm, and if he caused harm to the world, he might be besieged by the heavens.
The Monkey King, on the other hand, was destined to become either an immortal or a Buddha, either genuine or holy.
Moreover, merely by showing off a little, the Monkey King had gained such admiration from her father, which surely meant he was stronger than the Bull Demon King.
It goes without saying whose support was more substantial.
And in terms of appearance, the rugged Bull Demon King was a rough man; whereas the Monkey King had a face like a jade statue, gentle and refined, and his slight smile was etched in her heart.
"Mmm, Daddy, you're right, the Monkey King is more formidable than the Bull Demon King," the jade-faced little fox nodded solemnly, after all, the cloud beneath her feet was indeed soft.
The two of them rode the white cloud and in just a quarter of an hour, had already flown over the Niuhezhou, Western Ocean, Nanshan Continent, and Eastern Ocean, arriving at the edges of Ao Lai.
A beautiful island was already in their sight.
The immortal Fox King then estimated the time it would have taken if he had flown with his daughter on the winds, crossing two continents and two seas; at the very least, it would have taken seven or eight months.
This did not even take into account time for rest and meditation to recover mana.
Yet, they reached their destination in just a quarter of an hour on the Monkey King's white cloud.
Such closeness to heaven can hardly be overstated.
Upon entering the island, the white cloud automatically descended and dissipated into nothingness.
The immortal Fox King looked around and saw that the place was a harbor, bustling with all kinds of demons and humans, living together mixed, as if one community, in harmonious coexistence.
"The Monkey King is indeed talented!"
The immortal Fox King marveled.
He had some knowledge about this side of Eastern Shenzhou where the relationship between humans and demons wasn't as antagonistic as in Nanshan Continent and Niuhezhou, but still, each kept to their own, and there were incidents of eating each other.
But this Huaguo Mountain was a place where humans and demons coexisted harmoniously, which astonished him greatly.
As for the Jade-Faced Fox, she had already been captivated by various novel creations, with curiosity filling her eyes. She desperately wanted to break free from the clutches of the Ten Thousand Year Old Fox and play in the market near the harbor.
"May I ask if you are the Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King from Mount Accumulated Thunder and Cloud Cave?"
Just as the Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King was lost in thought, a deep and powerful voice rang out beside his ear; looking up, he saw a man with an ugly face and a robust figure.
"That's right."
The Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King was startled by the man's appearance.
Although he was not a fox who judged others by their appearance, such a face was indeed not suitable for public appearance.
"My name is Shuisheng. The Second King sent me to lead you to meet her," Shuisheng said.
"So it is, then please Shuisheng, lead the way for us," bowed the Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King.
"Don't!"
Shuisheng quickly stopped him, "I am not a king, but a general guarding the gate of Huaguo Mountain City, so don't get it wrong in the future."
The Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King nodded his head.
Both of them followed Shuisheng, riding in a horse-drawn carriage that raced along a smooth, flat road, without feeling any bumps.
Half an hour later, Shuisheng pulled back the curtain of the carriage, revealing a sprawling city wall that appeared before the eyes of the Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King and the Jade-Faced Fox, causing their mouths to hang open in shock and confusion.
Seeing this, Shuisheng proudly smiled, "This is Huaguo Mountain!"
With the two following, they got off the carriage and walked onto the towering city wall, as if stepping onto the clouds. As far as their eyes could see, within the walls, were seventy-two bustling cities. They were interconnected like links in a chain, with incessant traffic flowing on the roads.
In the very center, that city was even more flourishing, extending thousands of miles, resembling a nation within a nation.
"Let's go. We'll fly over, and take a look at the scenery along the way," Shuisheng said.
Shuisheng walked on the wind, and the Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King followed suit, guiding the Jade-Faced Fox as they flew low behind Shuisheng.
Inside the city walls, besides the seventy-two cities, there were countless towns and villages built along mountains and rivers, and even more, there were numerous small houses atop some towering trees, decorating the spaces between them.
A single giant tree was akin to a village.
Shuisheng explained, "By the King's decree, we don't entirely emulate humans by chopping down trees to build cities; instead, we adapt based on the local conditions."
"The Monkey King is indeed highly wise!" the Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King exclaimed in admiration.
Arriving in a city governed by the Elephant Demon King, though nowadays none of the demons referred to it as the Demon King, but rather the City Lord.
Most inhabitants of this city were elephant demons, with a minority from other races.
"The nature of demons is such, they like to stay together with their own kind," Shuisheng introduced.
"The Monkey King wants all demons to coexist harmoniously, right?" the Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King asked, looking at the cow demons, horse demons, wolf demons, and snake demons among the elephant demons.
"Yes, but it's a bit challenging," Shuisheng nodded, "This requires time for change, but at least, for now, the demons of Huaguo Mountain can tolerate humans and collaborate and learn with them."
"Speaking of which, you might not believe this, but in each city, including the main city where the Shuilian Cave of Huaguo Mountain is located, there's an area designated for humans to live, and unbeformed young demons are not allowed to enter."
The Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King was puzzled, "Why does the King hold humans in such high regard?"
Shuisheng sighed, "Because we can learn a great deal from humans, scholarship, skills—exchange, trade—"
The Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King felt enlightened and said, "This is indoctrination!"
The Monkey King was indoctrinating all demons, teaching human rituals, adopting human skills, and even shaping a whole new ethnic group.
He was in the right place!
Then, Shuisheng led the Ten Thousand Year Old Fox King and the Jade-Faced Fox to the human residential area of Elephant Demon City...