Southern Ridge Demon Mountain.
Only vast wilderness remains, where mountain ranges connect, with green hills and jade peaks, shrouded in drifting fog—a truly magnificent landscape!
This Southern Ridge Demon Mountain is not uncivilized; there exists a civilization within it. Within the Demon Mountain are many cities inhabited by members of the Demon Tribe. The ancestors of the Demon Tribe took human form, learned civilization in the Eastern Divine Region, and then returned to build their own civilization inside Demon Mountain. Just like in the Eastern Divine Region, these cities of the Demon Tribe have taverns, restaurants, banks, and so forth. However, due to a sparse population and the Demon Tribe's loose character, there are fewer people around.
This place, uniquely, has no government.
The demons are all proud and unruly. A single disagreement can lead to a grand fight, and that's precisely why even with Di Jun's talents, stabilizing his position in the Heavenly Court is difficult. It's because of the infighting within the Demon Tribe, troubles from within and threats from outside, how could anyone firmly hold their dominion?
One must be careful when traversing the Southern Ridge Demon Mountain, for should you accidentally wander into another demon's territory, conflict will surely arise.
After all, the demons remain demons; even though they've adopted human civilization, they're still unenlightened. However, some demons are quite interesting, spending their days swaying their heads while perusing the Four Books and Five Classics. Yet these demons are often regarded as oddities by their kin.
Wukong entered a place called Heavenly Pillar City, a name derived from a towering mountain that reaches into the clouds nearby.
This city is quite bustling. There are demon beasts that have completely transformed into human form, those that only partially can, and even some that swagger down the streets in their original forms. By the roadside are various stalls, selling elixir pills, refining materials, and some scattered Dharma Gates...
"I heard the Golden Crow Clan caught a Buddhist Sect spy," they plan to sacrifice her at the base of Heaven Pillar Mountain."
"It seems that the spy is a woman, quite beautiful at that. Let's go watch the excitement."
"Let's go, let's go."
Demons, like humans, love to watch excitement. Hearing this news, more than half of the demon peddlers closed their stalls and headed towards the base of Heaven Pillar Mountain. Wukong overheard these discussions and his curiosity was piqued, wondering who had been caught, so he followed them.
At the foot of Heaven Pillar Mountain, there was a sea of people, a large crowd gathered.
Wukong had just arrived when he saw a delicate woman in green clothes being pushed onto an altar.
"Isn't that the Green Snake?" Wukong thought, disregarding why she was in the Southern Ridge Demon Mountain; he figured that the Buddhist magical treasures he gave her might have been her downfall.
Then, a slender man dressed in black feathered clothes stepped onto the altar and said, "This person is one of our own, a Green Snake that cultivated into a spirit. However, she was bribed by the Buddhist Sect! She was captured by the Fifth Prince of our Golden Crow Clan, Di Chen, and this Demon-Subduing Staff is the evidence, so none can say that my Golden Crow Clan bullies the weak!"
The Demon-Subduing Staff was indeed one of the magical treasures Wukong had snatched from a Buddhist follower, which he had given to Green Snake and Bai Suzhen together.
Now a Taiyi Golden Immortal, Wukong understood the matter of karma even more clearly and couldn't help but sigh, "Karma truly is omnipresent. The kindness I offered has led to such a consequence! Well, it doesn't matter; I don't mind helping her a second time."
But Green Snake loudly protested, "You damn crow, who is the Buddhist Sect spy? You covet the magical treasures in my hands and frame me with false accusations!"
The man dubbed "damn crow" didn't care about Green Snake's foul language and spoke in a weird tone, "Southern Ridge Demon Mountain belongs to our Demon Tribe. How could a Buddhist magical treasure appear here without reason? If you claim you are not a spy for the Buddhist Sect, where did these magical treasures come from?"
Green Snake spat back, "They were given to me by a Taoist Master who killed Buddhist followers and seized them."
The effeminate man continued, "Your words are far-fetched. You are a demon, he is a Taoist, why would he give them to you? Could it be that he has taken a liking to you?"
Green Snake sneered in response.
The man pressed, "If that's your claim, who can testify for you?"
Green Snake was at a loss for words.
At that moment, Wukong spoke loudly, "I can testify for her."
Wukong then transformed into the appearance of the Taoist from that day, holding a horsetail whisk and slowly walked out of the crowd.
Green Snake's spirits lifted as she cried out, "It's him, the Taoist Master who killed those Buddhist followers and bestowed upon me the magical treasures."
The effeminate man replied, "Oh? So he is also a spy for the Buddhist Sect. Seize him!"
Wukong realized that these people were coveting the Buddhist magical treasures in Green Snake's hands, and the whole affair had been blown out of proportion. So they put a crown on Green Snake with the title of Buddhist Sect spy. Now that Wukong was testifying for her, they simply slapped a big hat onto him as well.
Three burly men pounced at him, but Wukong lightly waved his horsetail whisk, sending them flying.
"Dare to raise your hand against your grandpa? You're asking for death!" Wukong sneered and swept out with the whisk again. The effeminate man let out a scream, revealing his true form—a crow indeed. "Though you're not noisy, you're quite the troublemaker! I cannot spare you!"
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Having said that, he flicked his finger, and divine light burst forth, instantly turning the crow into a puddle of blood.
Wukong swept away the shackles on Xiaoqing with a light brush of the horsetail whisk and asked, "How did you come to be in Southern Ridge?"
Xiaoqing gave a bitter smile, "Sister and brother-in-law are always so lovey-dovey, while my heart is set on cultivation. I heard that there were many experts within Southern Ridge Demon Mountain and wished to broaden my horizons to pave the way for future cultivation. Little did I know, little did I realize that as soon as I entered, I was targeted. The Fifth Prince of the Golden Crow Clan, Di Chen, coveted the magical treasure in my possession and concocted a grandiose crime to frame me."
Within Southern Ridge Demon Mountain, especially the Golden Crow Clan and the Dragon Clan were the most formidable. The Golden Crow Clan, not wanting to tarnish their reputation, fabricated such a scheme to falsely accuse Xiaoqing of being a spy from the Buddhist Sect.
"Daring to kill my men within Heavenly Pillar City, I wondered who it was, someone truly seeking death!"
A fierce yell came from afar, and a streak of golden light rushed towards them. Wukong, however, did not even lift his head; he just raised his horsetail whisk and brushed, unleashing the Seven-Colored Divine Light. The golden figure was brushed by the divine light, flipping over thirty times before stabilizing himself, feeling utterly disoriented and nearly vomiting his dinner from the night before.
It was also because Wukong harbored no intent to kill. The horsetail whisk, having been refined from feathers of Di Jun, would've been too heartless to use to kill Di Chen with it.
All demon spectators were shocked. Who was this deity that dared not only to kill Di Chen's men but also flipped Di Chen dozens of times with a flick of a whisk!
As Di Chen finally steadied himself, he heard Xiaoqing say, "Di Chen, this is the Taoist Master I mentioned to you. Hand over the Buddhist magical treasures immediately, or else it will cost you your life!"
Di Chen, being the fifth prince of the Golden Crow Clan and the youngest beloved, had been pampered all his life. No one had ever dared to speak to him in such a brazen tone. Infuriated by Xiaoqing's audacious words, he conjured the Heavenly Emperor's Giant Seal and attacked! Wukong saw that the Seal was considerably crude, nowhere near as powerful as the one he used, but he dared not reveal too much, lest he turn this chap into flying ash in an instant.
Immediately, he raised the horsetail whisk and brushed again, sending Di Chen flying hundreds of feet back, shattering the Giant Seal as well.
Wukong spoke, "Golden Crow child, don't be so foolhardy as to knock an egg against a rock. If I didn't have some dealings with your ancestor Di Jun, the next time I would turn you into dust!"
Wukong's arrival was intended to covertly rally the Demon Tribe. As his own cultivation increased in strength, he would be in a better position to shake Mount Buzhou and retrieve the Eastern Emperor Bell from within. This bell was a top-tier treasure in heaven and earth. With it, the Eastern Emperor Taiyi had once rampaged through heaven and earth, the Three Realms, with no one daring to withstand its edge.
Di Chen's face darkened as he said, "Nonsense! Our clan's Heavenly Emperor is not someone you can call out at will!"
Wukong snorted coldly, "If you don't believe me, then have your elders come and speak with me."
Di Chen nodded, as he couldn't defeat this damn Taoist, and regardless of whether he truly knew his ancestor Di Jun, it was better to summon reinforcements first.
Thus, with a whistle, a Golden Crow soared into the sky and flew towards the distance.
Standing in the air with crossed arms, Di Chen said, "I have sent the message; my family will arrive shortly."
Wukong nodded and addressed the surrounding people, "Disperse, all of you. If you do not, I will have to brush you away!"
The gathered demons, witnessing Wukong's domineering presence and formidable mana, dared not disobey his wishes and dispersed accordingly.
Witnessing this scene, Di Chen couldn't help but feel incensed. He was the lord of Heavenly Pillar City, yet before he could issue a command, the other had already started throwing his weight around. But then he thought of Wukong's terrifying cultivation level and the Seven-Colored Dust Brush in his hand, and a chill ran down his spine for no apparent reason.
"First, return the magical treasures to me, or else I'll have to brush you off first!" Wukong told Di Chen.
Having no choice, Di Chen begrudgingly opened the Mustard Seed space and retrieved the seven or eight Buddhist magical treasures he had pilfered from Xiaoqing, tossing them to her. Although help was on its way, it was better not to suffer before them; if the Taoist were to brush him off a couple more times, he might indeed end up embarrassed, vomiting his last meal.
"Check them to see if anything is missing," Wukong said.
"No, nothing is missing," Xiaoqing replied, as she collected the treasures and felt immensely grateful to Wukong.
"Eat this, it will greatly increase your mana and lifespan," Wukong said, tossing a Ginseng Fruit to Xiaoqing.
Di Chen, watching, eyes wide with shock, exclaimed, "The Earth Immortal Zhen Yuanzi's Ginseng Fruit?"
Glancing at him, Wukong said, "You want to eat it? Unfortunately, there's only one."
Xiaoqing knew the value of the fruit and quickly chewed and swallowed it. Immediately, she felt a surge of warmth in her belly, tumultuous like overturning seas and rivers, and her Primordial Spirit grew explosively.
"Settle down for meditation, I'll keep watch," Wukong instructed.
Wukong had consumed plenty of Zhen Yuanzi's Ginseng Fruits before, even once knocking over the Ginseng Fruit tree with his staff. Eating more would be of no benefit to him; instead, it was better given to the Green Snake with her meager mana, helping her to advance her powers, lest she ran into trouble she could not cope with in the future.
Di Chen watched with eyes full of longing. Ginseng Fruits were not so readily obtainable; the Earth Immortal Zhen Yuanzi was incredibly powerful, and even some Taiyi Golden Immortals couldn't handle him.
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