27: Raid on Flame Mountain

On the journey west, Tang Seng once passed through a place called Flaming Mountain, rumored to have been formed when Sun Wukong kicked over the Old Lord's Pill Furnace, and a brick from the furnace fell, transforming into Flaming Mountain.

However, Tang Ku knew this was actually nonsense!

Don't forget, Sun Wukong was once refined in the Old Lord's furnace for forty-nine days; although it was in a wind-sheltered spot without flames, the temperature was real.

Yet, Flaming Mountain, which spanned hundreds of miles at the time, was impassable for Sun Wukong despite his great magic power.

Could the power of a single furnace brick be stronger than a Pill Furnace?

Shi Jingmo told Nezha that the gods' weapons and Magic Treasures were currently hidden beneath Flaming Mountain.

After his Lord annihilated the physical bodies of the immortals and gods, he took all the weapons and Magic Treasures in one go and built a massive armory under Flaming Mountain.

He also frequently took a portion of these weapons and Magic Treasures, but no one knew what he used them for.

“Currently, guarding Flaming Mountain is Hasgard of the Twelve Palaces; his strength is formidable… Hmm, generally speaking, if it were my previous strength, I should be evenly matched with him!”

Shi Jingmo explained while eating a roasted lamb leg.

“Then why do you need the Universe Ring and Zhentian Arrow in my hand?”

Nezha asked with a strange expression, “Although these things are quite powerful, they are just ordinary Magic Treasures… Besides, if you want to extinguish the fire of Flaming Mountain, you should use the Palm Leaf Fan, not the Zhentian Arrow!”

“Palm Leaf Fan… Hmm, it's the Bull Demon King's Palm Leaf Fan, Master just told me… Well, your bow and arrow aren't for extinguishing fire, but for opening a door… Among our former Twelve Palaces warriors, Sisyphus of Sagittarius was the most skilled in archery, and only he can open our Lord's Seal… Hmm, if we defeat Hasgard, we will need the Universe Ring and Zhentian Arrow in your hand to open the Seal mechanism… However, the operation is quite troublesome…”

Shi Jingmo explained the method to open the mechanism, leaving Nezha and Yang Jian utterly confused.

Shi Jingmo thought for a moment, then said, “How about this, we'll take the bow and arrow for now.

You'll need to practice your archery skills more on the way, especially the technique of rapid-fire arrows.

You need to get familiar with it, and when we get to the mechanism, you'll understand exactly what's going on!”

Nezha wanted to ask more, but Tang Ku said, “Buddhism emphasizes following one's destiny.

We're going to Flaming Mountain together, and when we meet that… what was his name again?”

“Taurus Hasgard!” Shi Jingmo interjected.

“Oh right, Hasgard… Hmm, what a strange name… In short, we have to find him, then defeat him, and only then can we open that treasure vault and find Nezha's weapons…”

Tang Ku said, “Things will work out eventually, just let nature take its course, don't force it… Hmm, of course, we still need to make some arrangements…”

The four discussed their strategy while eating, as the opponent was not just one person.

He should have many private soldiers under him, and these soldiers might be the minor characters from the original Saint Seiya worldview, or Heavenly Soldiers and Generals from the Journey to the West world, or even ghost soldiers from the underworld or warriors from other worlds.

As the saying goes, 'soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals, Jade Emperor against Yama King,' they would also have to find their own positions and appropriate opponents then.

Everything settled, none of the four were Mortals, so they didn't need to prepare anything else.

After eating and drinking their fill, they set off directly.

It must be said that with the Somersault Cloud, Tang Ku finally had the speed to keep up with the other three.

Previously, Nezha and Yang Jian had held back their speed to accommodate Tang Ku, but now that they were flying at full speed, Tang Ku no longer lagged behind.

Flaming Mountain was directly west of their location, and with Shi Jingmo leading the way, they quickly arrived near Flaming Mountain.

Tang Ku was extremely familiar with this place, as he had stayed here for a considerable amount of time.

At that time, Sun Wukong borrowed the Palm Leaf Fan three times, fought a great battle with the Bull Demon King, and Heavenly Soldiers and Generals as well as strong individuals from the Western Paradise came to help.

Nezha's Universe Ring happened to restrain the Bull Demon King, which finally subdued the brute.

At that time, Tang Seng had no ability to participate in the battle, so he stayed here for a long time until Sun Wukong brought the Palm Leaf Fan and extinguished the flames, allowing them to finally pass.

“Things have changed, people have changed.

Back then, it was five Master and disciples traveling together, but now I am left alone!”

With Tang Seng's memories, Tang Ku couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy at the scene.

“Hehe, Master, don't be sad.

Isn't the fate between us, Master and disciple, just beginning?”

Shi Jingmo chuckled.

“You're right!” Tang Ku laughed, “The beginning and end of fate cannot be forced, and besides, we don't have no chance to save them… Hmm, alright, let's proceed according to the previous plan!”

Yang Jian smiled, stretched out his hand to summon the Howling Celestial Dog, and with a wave of his hand, sent him rushing towards the belly of Flaming Mountain.

The Howling Celestial Dog hadn't had a big activity in a long time, so he barked excitedly and rushed towards Flaming Mountain as soon as he appeared.

Some might ask, aren't they afraid of alerting the enemy?

Well, they're not afraid, because they intended to alert the enemy!

The Howling Celestial Dog suddenly transformed into a thick black smoke, swirling into the belly of Flaming Mountain.

Then, in less than two or three seconds, a large ball of fire suddenly exploded at the spot where the Howling Celestial Dog disappeared, shaking the entire Flaming Mountain.

Then, they saw the Howling Celestial Dog fleeing like lightning, drooling far and wide, and his face showed a mixture of panic and excitement.

Behind him, amidst rolling dust, a group of guys dressed like ancient Roman warriors, plus a big, foolish fellow wearing a golden saint cloth, followed closely behind.

“It's time, don't let the Howling Celestial Dog really get hurt…”

Tang Ku said, “True Monarch, please trouble you and my disciple to hold them back.

Nezha and I will go into the treasure vault to get the weapons!

Remember not to get entangled in battle; just holding them back is enough!”

“Good!”

Yang Jian suddenly flew up, his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade shining brightly, and at this moment, a silver-white armor suddenly appeared on him, as if he were a Saint Seiya, and he charged towards the Golden Warrior.

The two collided as soon as they met, and a golden light exploded in the air, dazzling and brilliant, while strong shockwaves spread out, scattering the warriors on the ground.

“Oh, I remember your portrait…”

Hasgard glanced at Yang Jian and suddenly smiled, “You are Yang Jian, the God of War of this world.

Hehe, I didn't expect the strongest one to be left.

Perfect, let me experience how strong the power system of this world truly is!”

Yang Jian sneered, “If you don't use your strange power to suppress me, I will be stronger than you can imagine!”