38: Square-faced monster

After much deliberation, Tang Ku still decided to go alone, but before leaving, he had to ask Niu Mowang to extinguish the fire on Flaming Mountain and take him to the so-called Immortal Cave.

Bull Demon King didn't hesitate; in fact, he needed Tang Ku and his companions to help him find Princess Iron Fan. He was alone and isolated, and without a group of small demons to gather in the mountains, his chances were truly slim.

And here, Tang Ku finally witnessed the miraculous power of the Palm Leaf Fan.

Originally, if the Palm Leaf Fan could only create wind, then the wind would fuel the fire, and the fire on Flaming Mountain would only grow stronger. But when Niu Mowang waved the fan, a huge tornado rose from the ground, growing larger and larger until it reached the sky. The tornado twisted and turned, sucking all the flames from Flaming Mountain into itself as it passed, carrying them up to the sky, eventually disappearing without a trace. In just a blink of an eye, all the flames vanished.

Bull Demon King exerted his Divine Might, and the Palm Leaf Fan was waved a second time. The tornado miraculously dispersed into endless wild winds that swirled everywhere. Tang Ku and his companions, standing not far away in mid-air, had their clothes flapping loudly. At the same time, the sky became overcast with dense clouds, accumulating heavy water vapor, and even the air became humid. The mountain, which had been scorching hot just moments before, transformed into a cool, autumn-like climate in an instant.

Strange to say, the dark clouds remained condensed above and did not disperse, but without the Palm Leaf Fan moving, the rain also wouldn't fall.

Niu Mowang chuckled, and seeing Tang Ku's eager expression, he understood and handed over the Palm Leaf Fan, saying with a smile, "Does Holy Monk also want to try?"

Tang Ku smiled, "Curiosity at play, please forgive me!"

Tang Ku took the Palm Leaf Fan without ceremony, waving it with his right hand. A gentle breeze dispersed and actually drifted towards the sky. Immediately following was a flash of lightning and thunder. Tang Ku instantly felt a chilling Qi envelop him, followed by a torrential downpour. The cold Qi almost made Tang Ku's Diamond Body shiver.

"This Palm Leaf Fan is indeed miraculous!"

Tang Ku returned the fan to Niu Mowang, praising, "Its attribute is Yin, and within Yin there is Water. Water overcomes Fire, thus it can extinguish flames. It is indeed a brilliant Magic Treasure."

"Holy Monk overpraises!"

Niu Mowang proudly put away the Palm Leaf Fan and said with a smile, "This is a treasure passed down from my wife's ancestors. How fortunate am I, Niu Mowang, to have married such a virtuous wife…"

At this point, Niu Mowang's expression darkened again, "If only I hadn't been so infatuated with beauty, we wouldn't have turned against each other… Alas, all the fault lies with me!"

"Niu Mowang, there's no need to worry. I guess Princess Iron Fan should be fine, because I once went to find Zhen Yuanzi. He is the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, and Princess Iron Fan is also an Earth Immortal. I surmise that Earth Immortals in the human realm should not have suffered calamity. It's just that I don't know what kind of formidable enemy she encountered that made her abandon the Palm Leaf Fan and flee her Immortal Cave. This is unknown, and we need time to investigate!"

Tang Ku advised.

"Holy Monk, there's no need to comfort me. Hmm… The most pressing matter now is to completely extinguish the fire on Flaming Mountain to eliminate future troubles!" Bull Demon King patted his chest and said, "Although I, Niu Mowang, am foolish, I still have a sense of righteousness. Since you are that monkey's Master, you are my, Niu Mowang's, elder… Hmm, Holy Monk, please follow me first. Your Immortal Cave, though not small, is very hidden, and ordinary people would not easily find it!"

With that, Niu Mowang took the lead and flew in one direction.

The two flew for a while and finally, in the core area of Flaming Mountain's interior, found a patch of scorched black vines. It was unknown what kind of plant these vines were. Although they had been carbonized by the flames, they were still so sturdy. Tang Ku patted these wrist-thick vines and found them to be as hard as rock, marveling at their resilience. He even saw a few-millimeter-long green sprout on one of the branches. Clearly, this plant was not entirely dead and even showed signs of recovery in the heavy rain.

"Niu Mowang doesn't know what this thing is. Anyway, as soon as the fire on Flaming Mountain is extinguished, this thing can revive. As soon as a big fire starts again, this thing quickly degenerates into this appearance. It's truly very magical… Hmm, Holy Monk, please follow me, that Immortal Cave is under these vines!"

With that, Bull Demon King led Tang Ku through the vines and reached the very bottom. Sure enough, they saw a square, regular hole in the ground, about the size of a room, which looked pitch-black and bottomless at first glance.

"It really looks like it was melted out of bricks and stones, otherwise it wouldn't be so regular…" Tang Ku was secretly surprised, then immediately planned to jump down.

"Holy Monk, I should still go with you. We don't know what dangers lie below!"

Bull Demon King said.

"Is Niu Mowang lacking confidence in Poor Monk?" Tang Ku turned back, smiling.

"Uh, this… After all, you used to be… Hehe, you know what I'm going to say, right!"

Bull Demon King looked at Tang Ku's small frame and shook his head helplessly.

"Hehe, don't worry, don't worry. This Tang Sanzang is not that Tang Sanzang. Poor Monk is no longer that frail monk!"

Tang Ku patted his shoulder and said, "You also know that all those from the Western Buddhist Realm are thick-skinned and have high HP and defense. Even if there's danger, I can still escape. Hmm, if you're really worried, then just cover me again. Poor Monk doesn't know how long it will take to come up once I go down, so I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on the surroundings for me. I'm afraid someone might come to cause trouble!"

With that, Tang Ku had already jumped down, not even giving Bull Demon King a chance to speak.

"This monk is completely different from what the rumors say. He's actually so courageous, not simple, not simple!"

Bull Demon King couldn't help but praise.

How could he know that Tang Ku entered the ground layer to earn points!

Silently calculating his descent speed and distance, ten minutes later, Tang Ku finally saw a faint red light underground.

"Oh… This is impressive, actually nearly two thousand meters down at this bottom layer…"

Getting closer and closer, Tang Ku suddenly realized that there was a very spacious area below. The moment he emerged from the cave entrance, he realized he had been too shallow in his assumptions.

The space below was not just large; or rather, the word "large" was insufficient to describe its grandeur.

Directly below, a river almost entirely composed of magma stretched nearly north to south, its direction exactly matching the mountain range of Flaming Mountain. This magma river was incredibly wide, spanning a full five to six kilometers horizontally, and the underground space was so vast that one could almost build a city, or even a small country!

What truly astonished Tang Ku was a strange, square-faced beast dozing in mid-air.

In the magma river, a fiery red flame extended to its limbs and head, injecting streams of fiery energy into its body!

"What in the world is this thing?" Tang Ku couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose, smiling wryly, "Even if Poor Monk has read extensively, I've never seen such a peculiar creature!"