For a weaker being like Little Fox, the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind had no interest at all; he simply couldn't believe such a feeble Little Monster could ever kill his own Commander.
So, it was quite obvious who the real culprit was, none other than this seemingly delicate and handsome Young Daoist priest standing beside the Little Fox.
"Truly seeking death, daring to venture onto this path for practice at such a young age, not even knowing where they get the courage," the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind murmured to himself as he gazed at Lin Fang's figure.
Any powerful Immortal's disciple would be clear about the terror of this direction; under the gods' control, the road Tang Monk walked was an extremely difficult one, filled with Demons and Ghosts at every turn, hence many Cultivators would avoid this road during their practice.
Yet Lin Fang had charged right into it, which led the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind to conclude that he wasn't the disciple of any formidable Immortal, meaning he could kill him without any hesitation.
"Why run? Accept your demise quickly," boomed the voice of the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind, reverberating in the air with the authority of the Demon King.
However, the two figures below turned a deaf ear, merely burying their heads as they rushed forward.
Seeing this, the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind became instantly infuriated, as these two actually dared to ignore him; such an attitude inevitably reminded him of those loathsome bald-headed Buddhist Disciples on Mount Ling.
Back when he was just a tiny mouse, it was with that same look that those detestable followers on Mount Ling had looked down on him.
This was also his motivation to keep getting stronger; he wanted to grandly stand before these people, to see their timidity and fear.
Recalling these thoughts, a killing intent suddenly welled up within the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind, and he let out a thunderous roar, hurling his Steel Fork toward the two who were fleeing below.
The Steel Fork streaked across the sky like a meteor, its speed incredibly fast; the two runners had no chance to dodge and were pierced by the Steel Fork, collapsing instantly to the ground.
"Such audacity to ignore this Great Saint with that level of strength; truly ignorant of life and death." Gazing at the two figures now lying on the ground, a sense of elation flickered through the heart of the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind, as he had finally released the pent-up frustration within him.
It was at this moment that he suddenly realized that there was no blood flowing from the fallen figures.
He hurried over to find that the two figures had transformed into a pair of Paper figures, one of which was bound with a strand of Little Fox's fur, and the scent he had sensed earlier was exactly what had been emanating from them.
Now, of course, he knew he had been tricked by another's Blinding Method.
This infuriated the self-proclaimed Great Saint greatly; winds swept through the surroundings, but they couldn't bring him the scent of those he sought, signaling that they must have escaped far away.
"Damn it, if I catch you, I'll tear you to pieces to quell the fury in my heart," roared the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind, his bellow echoing throughout the forest, his powerful gusts reducing the paper figures lying on the ground to dust.
Of course, when this Demon King returned, he naturally told the Little Demons in his cave that the two who dared offend his majesty had been thoroughly torn apart. He made no mention of being outwitted and allowing them to escape, as, after all, he too was a Monster with a face to save.
Meanwhile, Lin Fang, with Little Fox by his side, looked toward the barely visible sandstorm in the distance, and chuckled, "I told you this world always has more solutions than problems."
"Lin Fang, you are truly incredible, to be able to deceive the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind. I bet the Demon King hates you to death right now," Little Fox said, full of admiration.
But Lin Fang just waved his hand nonchalantly, "It's nothing, I assure you he'll claim to have killed us. But it doesn't really matter, in this world reputation is but a shackle for the soul."
Though his words sounded light, who could know the ache in his heart? Those Paper figures were no ordinary objects; they had been carefully crafted by Lin Fang using special resources collected over time, as outlined in the books left by the old Taoist. Otherwise, how could they have fooled the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind? With only five such figures at his disposal, he had used two today - the loss was certainly not insignificant.
But in front of Little Fox, he had to feign nonchalance, biting down on the pain - after all, wasn't it all for the sake of maintaining his image? You can see how much Little Fox admires him now.
"It's only my paper figures!" he lamented in his heart, Lin Fang dare not continue the thought, fearing he would not be able to maintain his glorious and towering image.
"Right, where do you plan on going next?" Lin Fang quickly changed the subject to relieve the pain in his heart.
"I am planning to head west. I have some distant relatives on Pingding Mountain; I'm thinking of seeking refuge with them." The Little Fox honestly replied.
"Pingding Mountain, eh!"
As soon as Pingding Mountain was mentioned, Lin Fang immediately thought of the Golden Horned King and The Silver Horned King and the endless treasures in their possession. It seemed that they indeed had a Nine-Tailed Demon Fox as a godmother. Could this Little Fox be related to her?
Lin Fang looked at the Little Fox suspiciously, thinking to himself that this little fellow had quite the background. Perhaps he could even take advantage of their connection to stumble upon some opportunities. With this thought, his gaze towards the Little Fox suddenly warmed up.
The Little Fox felt that Lin Fang seemed a bit terrifying at this moment, especially the way he looked at it—too affectionate, involuntarily tightening its clothes around itself.
"Pingding Mountain is a great place. I just happen to be passing through there as well. How about you come with me?" Lin Fang asked with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the Little Fox immediately became happy. It had been worried about the arduous journey ahead and how a little monster like itself would manage. Traveling with Lin Fang would alleviate many concerns, after all, he was someone who had escaped from the clutches of the Great Sage of the Yellow Wind.
And so, the two of them started to travel together, heading westward.
Meanwhile, at Gao Lao Village, Zhu Bajie encountered the nemesis of his life. Beaten by the Monkey so that he dare not leave his cave mansion, he could only curse inside his den: "Damn that Bi Mawen, that stinking Monkey, daring to mock me like this! If I hadn't been banished to the Mortal World, with only one-tenth of my strength, I would've given you a good show today!"
Although he said this, Zhu Bajie knew better than anyone the combat prowess of that Monkey. Even if he regained his former strength, he probably wouldn't be a match for him.
With no other choice, he had to accept his fate and embarked on the journey to the West.
And when Zhu Bajie kneeled before Tang Monk, bowing reverently and respectfully to take him as his master, Lin Fang, who was on his journey, suddenly felt a warm sensation in his chest.
"It's 'Journey to the West.'" Lin Fang instantly realized.
The last time this happened, he received the Righteous Law and seemed to have traveled through time and space to personally witness the moment Patriarch Bodhi imparted his teachings. After that occurrence, he tried many ways to make 'Journey to the West' reappear in the Mortal World but to no avail.
Never did he expect to feel a response today again. Lacking information, he couldn't guess the reason, but deep inside, he was already looking forward to what benefits this time would bring.
At night, in an abandoned cave, the Little Fox had fallen into a deep sleep. The moonlight shone through the entrance, casting a bright light across the front of the cave.
Lin Fang quietly got up and slowly walked outside the cave. He saw that tonight's sky was exceptionally bright, with stars twinkling brilliantly and a Milky Way that spanned majestically across the heavens.
The forest had long since fallen into silence, except for the intermittent sounds of insects, which played a symphony praising life.
Lin Fang let out a gentle sigh, realizing it was time to test his luck with 'Journey to the West.' Each appearance was like a lottery draw, with no idea what would surface next. He hoped it would be something useful to him.
With this in mind, Lin Fang's thoughts moved, and 'Journey to the West' slowly emerged from his chest. The pages started flipping rapidly, and soon Lin Fang saw a page glowing with light and read: "Protected by the hidden gods of Serpent Coiling Mountain, rein in your racing thoughts at the Treacherous situation."
Almost immediately, a white mist enveloped Lin Fang, momentarily transporting him through time and space as if to a perilous place.
He saw steep cliffs hovering high, and a waterfall cascading beneath, prompting Lin Fang to recall a verse from his previous life: "The waterfalls plunge down three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way has fallen from the Nine Heavens."