"The Demon Clan envoy Bai Yu requests an audience with the Great Sage Equalling Heaven,"
a deep voice announced, accompanied by a powerful aura.
The visitor was undoubtedly a Demon King, a tremendously strong Earth Immortal.
Demon Clan?
It had been a long time since that term was mentioned.
The Great Heavenly Venerate presided over the Heavenly Court, establishing the celestial order, declaring humans the foundation of the world, the spirit of all things.
All other creatures harming humans were regarded as demons.
The Heavenly Court would then unleash divine thunder or dispatch the Heavenly Soldiers and Divine Generals to eliminate the demons.
As time passed, the number of major demons had decreased.
Occasionally, some powerful beings were somehow linked with the divine, no longer purely from the Demon Clan.
Hence, the term 'Demon Clan' had long ceased to be mentioned.
At the thought, Sun Wukong left Huaguo Mountain and appeared before the Demon King.
The newcomer was an impressive-looking young man, quite handsome but with extraordinarily fierce eyes, exuding immense authority.
When he saw Sun Wukong, he curiously scrutinized him.
Even under Sun Wukong's gaze, he dared to meet his eyes.
"Junior of the Demon Clan, Bai Yu, pays respects to the Great Sage Equalling Heaven,"
Bai Yu greeted. He was an Immortal Crane who had achieved enlightenment, arrogant by nature, and even before the Great Sage, he held himself with an air of aloofness.
Even more so, Bai Yu's eyes sparkled with a challenge as he looked at Sun Wukong.
"After the Heavenly Court established the order of the Three Realms, where is there still a Demon Clan? You, a minor demon, dare to deceive Old Sun."
Sun Wukong slightly frowned.
He raised his hand and struck, sending a slap flying toward him.
Bai Yu tried to dodge, but realized that his pride in his speed was insufficient against his opponent.
The hand, appearing slow, hit him in the blink of an eye, sending him from mid-air crashing into the East Sea, stirring up monstrous waves.
The next moment, Bai Yu burst skyward.
His eyes filled with fury, he shouted, "Great Sage Equalling Heaven, I respected you as a predecessor of the Demon Clan, yet you insult me at will, so don't blame me for being rude."
After speaking, rows of white feathers appeared behind Bai Yu, which then transformed into a blanket of Sword Qi, enveloping Sun Wukong.
"Impressive,"
Sun Wukong admired.
This Bai Yu was no ordinary demon; he must have received some heritage.
Ordinary members of the Demon Clan possessed only innate divine abilities or their self-taught, crude techniques.
With such clever methods as Bai Yu's, he definitely had an Immortal's heritage.
He smiled slightly and with a casual wave of his hand, the myriad Sword Qi dispersed.
Hearing Sun Wukong's praise, Bai Yu initially felt a bit proud.
But the scene before him chilled him to the core.
He quickly retracted his mana, his face promptly adopting a flattering smile, sycophantically saying, "Great Sage, what remarkable skills. I admire you and thank you for teaching me a lesson just now, letting me know how high the heavens and how thick the earth is. I will forever remember your kindness, for which I am immensely grateful."
Bai Yu's attitude took an abrupt one-hundred-eighty-degree turn.
Very sincere indeed.
Sun Wukong tilted his head to look at him and thought, where went the defiance?
This junior's thick-skinnedness might soon catch up to his own.
"What exactly is this 'Demon Clan' supposed to be?"
Sun Wukong asked.
At the mention of the Demon Clan, Bai Yu immediately straightened up, explaining, "The Demon Clan is an alliance formed by the eighteen strongest Demon Kings in the Three Realms, aiming to protect the Demon Clan in these tumultuous times and even revive the glory of the Demon Clan, making it the dominion over the Three Realms again."
Bai Yu's expression was fervent.
Rule the Three Realms?
Revive the glory of the Demon Clan?
The eighteen strongest Demon Kings?
Sun Wukong automatically filtered through this information.
These slogans, not outright lies, were scarcely far from it, and achieving them was utterly impossible.
He asked for the names of these Demon Kings.
"Nine-tailed Fox Mu Han, Great Ape King Sun Shengkong, Crocodile God..."
Bai Yu hadn't finished speaking when he was interrupted by Sun Wukong.
"Great Ape King Sun Shengkong?"
Bai Yu's expression stiffened, and he nodded somewhat awkwardly.
Sun Wukong laughed. What a great name.
Originally, he hadn't planned to go, these so-called eighteen strongest Demon Kings, he hadn't heard of any of them.
But, upon hearing the name Sun Shengkong, he decided to make a trip.
Not every monkey is the Great Sage Equalling Heaven.
Nor can just anyone be called Sun Shengkong.
What kind of nonsense is this Great Ape King? You call yourself by that name, does Old Sun have no face left?
"Lead the way ahead."
Sun Wukong spoke straightforwardly.
A bad premonition suddenly arose in Bai Yu's mind.
The Great Ape King, it seems, was about to face a setback.
He led the way somewhat nervously.
The two left Huaguo Mountain on clouds.
In the Western Continent, the so-called base camp of the Demon Clan Alliance, it wasn't too far from Mount Ling.
Looking over the four great continents, if one were to say where the cruelest and most numerous demons were, it was truly the Western Continent.
"The Great Heavenly Sage Grandfather arrives."
Before he had even landed, Bai Yu's voice had already erupted.
Within the Demon Clan Alliance, eighteen demonic energies surged into the sky, these were the Demon Kings Bai Yu referred to; each one an Taiyi Loose Immortal.
Are not the five kinds of immortals in the Three Realms heaven, earth, man, gods, ghosts, among which the Celestial Immortals are the highest grade?
Sun Wukong practiced the Great Grade Celestial Immortal Technique, which is of the highest grade among Celestial Immortals.
Buddhas and Great Bodhisattvas correspond to this realm as well.
Common Bodhisattvas are merely Earth Immortals or Divine Immortals.
The Celestial Immortals formed by the orthodox cultivation of Daoism founded by The Three Pure Ones are termed Great Luo Celestial Immortals, Great Luo Loose Immortals, or Great Luo Golden Immortals.
Golden Immortal refers to those Celestial Immortals who hold a divine office in the Heavenly Court.
Whereas Taiyi Celestial Immortal, Taiyi Loose Immortal, and Taiyi Golden Immortal refer to Celestial Immortals who achieved their path through alternate methods.
After Sun Wukong achieved his divine standing, he became a Taiyi Loose Immortal.
All eighteen of these Demon Kings were Taiyi Loose Immortals, all achieving the realm of Celestial Immortals, which was quite surprising to Sun Wukong.
"Welcome, Great Sage Equalling Heaven."
Eighteen voices called out, and then eighteen Demon Kings appeared together.
Their expressions varied greatly, ranging from awe, disdain, to indifference and more.
Clearly, the eighteen Demon Kings had different attitudes towards Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong didn't pay attention to the others but focused his gaze on a burly man.
This was the Great Ape King, transformed into a tall, robust young man, and among the eighteen Demon Kings, only he looked at Sun Wukong with disdain.
With his Eyes of Golden Flame, Sun Wukong could clearly see the opponent's true form.
It was a Ferocious Ape, awe-inspiring, surrounded by vapors, capable of turning rivers and seas upside down.
He immediately understood in his heart that this so-called Great Ape King was likely a descendant of the Ancient Water Monkey Great Sage Wu Zhiji.
No wonder he dared to be so arrogant, to name himself Sun Shengkong, he did have some confidence.
"Who is Sun Shengkong? I am only looking for him."
Sun Wukong smiled slightly, clearly specifying that he was looking for the Great Ape King.
All eyes then focused on the Great Ape King's figure.
The Great Ape King Sun Shengkong snorted coldly, without a hint of fear, he stepped forward.
"Sun Wukong, what do you want with me?"
He feigned ignorance, pretending not to understand.
Sun Wukong couldn't be bothered to waste words with him.
He smiled faintly and said, "You should change your name."
"Impossible."
Sun Shengkong did not hesitate for a moment, flatly refusing.