28: Chapter 29 Another Encounter with Demons!

After the Monkey King was driven away, Tang Seng felt a tinge of regret in his heart.

Yet, unable to bring himself to admit it, he had no choice but to continue the journey west with Pigsy and Ao Lie.

Along the way, Tang Seng remained silent, sighing from time to time.

Pigsy, on the other hand, was quite content; without the Monkey King's discipline, he slacked off throughout the journey.

He would occasionally grumble about the Monkey King's faults and complain about the hardships of the road.

Ao Lie followed alongside the Master and disciple, remaining as taciturn as ever.

His aura was restrained, revealing not a shred of his power as a Shadow Monarch.

He knew clearly that with the Monkey King gone, the safety of their journey west would largely depend on him.

Yet, he could not easily expose his Shadow Power, so he remained constantly vigilant, keeping an eye on his surroundings while secretly spreading his Shadow Power to detect any Demonic Qi nearby.

This day, the three arrived at a Black Pine Forest, which differed from other places.

The trees here grew so densely they blocked out the sky, their branches twisted.

The leaves were pitch black, preventing any sunlight from penetrating, and the entire forest felt eerie.

Gusts of cold wind swept through, carrying a bone-chilling cold, and even the air was filled with a faint trace of Demonic Qi.

Sitting on his horse and looking at the eerie forest ahead, Tang Seng couldn't help but feel a little frightened and hurriedly asked.

"Pigsy, look at how eerie this forest is. I fear it is not safe; we must proceed with caution."

Pigsy, carrying his Nine-toothed Rake, yawned and said indifferently.

"Master, rest assured! In this desolate wilderness, where could there be so many demons?"

"Even if there were demons, with old Pig and Ao Lie here, we will certainly be able to protect you."

"When that monkey was here, he was making a fuss all day long. Now that he is gone, we are finally at peace. Let's just keep moving forward."

Tang Seng heard this, and although he felt uneasy in his heart, he had no choice but to nod and urge his horse into the forest.

Ao Lie walked at the back, his brows slightly furrowed, for he had already sensed something.

Hidden within this Black Pine Forest was an extremely thick Demonic Qi, not from some ordinary minor demon, but from a demon king with considerable cultivation.

However, that Demonic Qi was hidden very deeply; without careful investigation, it would be impossible to detect.

"Master, there is a pervasive Demonic Qi ahead. I fear there are demons at work. We should perhaps take a detour and avoid going deep into the forest."

Ao Lie stepped forward and whispered a warning to Tang Seng.

Hearing this, Tang Seng looked at Ao Lie and said.

"Ao Lie, the main road is right before us; what reason is there to take a detour?"

"As monastics, we hold compassion in our hearts. Demons and ghosts are all illusions. As long as we keep our hearts set on the Buddha, no harm will come to us."

He was panicked, deceiving himself, and he had truly managed to fool himself, which was truly laughable.

Pigsy, standing to the side, curled his lip and said.

"Ao Lie, why are you just like that monkey, timid and fearful?"

"It's just a forest, what kind of demons could there be? Stop scaring yourself."

Seeing that the Master and disciple would not listen to his advice, Ao Lie said no more.

He simply clenched his fists in secret and quietly mobilized his Shadow Power.

A faint aura of shadows surged behind him, ready to summon his Shadow Servants at any moment.

He thought to himself.

"The demon king in this forest has strong cultivation, likely in the Late Stage or even Peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm."

"If I act rashly, I will surely expose my identity, so I can only wait and see."

"If the demon king truly attacks, I will then strike secretly to protect Master, but I must never let Master discover my secret."

The three ventured step by step into the Black Pine Forest, and the deeper they went, the more eerie the atmosphere became.

Everything was quiet; only the sound of their footsteps could be heard. There were no birds chirping or insects calling, which was extremely strange.

Just then, a woman's weeping suddenly came from ahead.

The sound was sorrowful and miserable, appearing particularly grating in the silent Black Pine Forest.

Tang Seng, being kind-hearted, heard the weeping and immediately reined in his horse, saying.

"Listen, there is a woman weeping ahead. She must have encountered difficulties. Let us go and see."

Pigsy hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Master, absolutely not! In this desolate wilderness, so eerie, where would a woman come from?"

"It must be a demon in disguise, trying to trick us. Let's ignore it and leave quickly!"

It must be said, when Pigsy is foolish, he is truly foolish, but when he needs to be smart, he is not stupid.

It sounds like nonsense, but it is indeed true, haha.

Tang Seng, however, would not listen and shook his head.

"Pigsy, monastics hold compassion as their core; how can we see someone in danger and not save them?"

"Even if there is danger, we must go and see. If it is truly someone in distress, how can we stand by and watch?"

After saying this, Tang Seng urged his horse toward the direction of the weeping. Ao Lie and Pigsy, having no choice, followed closely behind.

Before long, the three saw a woman dressed in plain clothes sitting under a black pine tree.

She was bowing her head, weeping behind her hands. The woman was delicate and pretty, looking pitiful, with no sign of Demonic Qi.

Seeing this, Tang Seng hurriedly dismounted, walked forward, pressed his palms together, and asked softly.

"Female benefactor, why are you crying alone in this Black Pine Forest? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

The woman raised her head, and upon seeing Tang Seng, she wept even more sorrowfully, sobbing as she spoke.

"Elder, you do not know, I am a woman from a nearby household, and I came up the mountain to pick herbs today."

"Unexpectedly, I encountered a fierce tiger, which scared me so much that I lost my way."

"Now I cannot find the way home, and I am afraid of encountering more wild beasts in the forest, so I am crying here."

Tang Seng, hearing this, felt compassion and hurriedly comforted her.

"Female benefactor, do not be afraid. We are monks on a pilgrimage to the Western Heaven."

"If you do not mind, you may leave this Black Pine Forest with us, and we will see you home."

Pigsy, standing to the side, had long seen that something was wrong. He tugged at Tang Seng's sleeve and whispered.

"Master, this woman must be a demon in disguise. You must absolutely not believe her words!"

"This Black Pine Forest is so remote; what woman would come here alone to pick herbs? It is clearly a trap!"

"Pigsy, stop talking nonsense!" Tang Seng scolded. "How can you judge people by their appearance? This female benefactor is so pitiful; how could she be a demon?"

"If you dare talk nonsense again, don't blame your Master for punishing you!"

Ao Lie stood to the side, looking coldly at the woman before him.

He had long seen through it; this woman was not a human at all, but a transformation of the demon king in the forest, and her purpose was to lure Tang Seng.

He remained calm, secretly preparing for battle; as soon as this demon made a move, he would strike immediately.

Just then, the woman suddenly stood up, and the pitiful look on her face instantly vanished.

It was replaced by a ferocious expression, and the Demonic Qi around her surged, with black wind instantly sweeping across the surroundings, blocking out the sky.

"What a pedantic Tang Seng! Indeed, with mortal eyes, you cannot distinguish truth from falsehood!"

"Today I will fulfill your wish; come with me obediently!"

The woman shouted sternly, her figure flickered, and she instantly transformed back to her true form.

It was a demon king with a green face and sharp fangs, wearing a yellow robe—the Master of this Black Pine Forest, the Yellow Robe Monster!

The Yellow Robe Monster revealed his true form, his Demonic Qi soaring to the heavens, and he waved his large hand.

A powerful wave of Demonic Qi swept toward Tang Seng, as fast as lightning.

Tang Seng was scared pale, his legs went weak, and he stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, crying out: "A demon! It really is a demon!"

Seeing this, Pigsy immediately shouldered his Nine-toothed Rake and shouted.

"Demon, do not be presumptuous! See how old Pig deals with you!" Saying this, he brandished his Nine-toothed Rake and charged toward the Yellow Robe Monster.

But the Yellow Robe Monster had profound cultivation, at the Peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm, his strength far surpassing Pigsy's Late Stage Realm.

After only a few rounds, Pigsy was swiped back by the Yellow Robe Monster, thrown to the ground, vomiting blood, and unable to get up again.

"Pigsy!" Tang Seng cried out, his heart filled with fear and regret.

He regretted not listening to Pigsy and Ao Lie's advice earlier, and now he had fallen into the hands of the demon.

Seeing this, Ao Lie immediately stepped forward, blocking in front of Tang Seng, his Immortal Qi surging as he confronted the Yellow Robe Monster's Demonic Qi.

He dared not use his Shadow Power again and could only resist with his own Profound Immortal Realm cultivation.

But the difference in cultivation between the two was vast, and he quickly fell into a disadvantage, being suppressed by the Yellow Robe Monster's Demonic Qi and forced to retreat repeatedly.

If not for secretly using a sliver of shadow to protect himself, he would have already turned into a pool of blood.

"A mere Profound Immortal dares to block me!"

The Yellow Robe Monster sneered, not putting Ao Lie in his eyes at all.

At this moment, he waved his hand again, and an even more formidable wave of Demonic Qi attacked Ao Lie and Tang Seng.

Ao Lie gritted his teeth to resist, but the gap in strength was simply too great; he was instantly knocked back by the Demonic Qi, feeling a sharp pain in his chest, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Taking advantage of this gap, the Yellow Robe Monster grabbed with his large hand, directly seizing Tang Seng, who was standing frozen in fear.

He turned and transformed into a black wind, flying toward the depths of the Black Pine Forest, his rampant laughter echoing.

"Tang Seng, today you have fallen into my hands, obediently become my meal!"

"Master!"

"Master!"

Pigsy and Ao Lie cried out in unison, but the black wind was extremely fast.

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the depths of the Black Pine Forest, and was nowhere to be seen.

Pigsy climbed up from the ground, looking at the empty space ahead, anxious and regretful, slapping his thigh and wailing.

"It's all my fault! It's all my fault for not stopping Master! If Senior Brother were here, he certainly wouldn't have let the demon take Master away!"

"Now that Master has been abducted by the Yellow Robe Monster, what are we to do!"

Ao Lie wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes looking coldly in the direction the Yellow Robe Monster had left, pondering secretly.

"The Yellow Robe Monster has strong cultivation; with just Pigsy and me, we cannot possibly rescue Master."

"It seems we have no choice but to find a way to bring back the Monkey King."

He also knew clearly in his heart that if he used his Shadow Servants, he would certainly be able to save Tang Seng.

"But once exposed, it will attract the attention of the Celestial Court and the Western Heaven, and years of forbearance will go down the drain."

Looking at the weeping Pigsy, Ao Lie said in a deep voice.

"Pigsy, stop crying! Now that Master has been abducted, staying here is useless."

"The urgent matter is to find a way to rescue Master. The only solution right now is to go to Flower-Fruit Mountain and bring back Senior Brother!"

In the Black Pine Forest, cold winds blew. Pigsy, hearing Ao Lie's words, stopped crying, his eyes filled with despair and helplessness.

Now that the hypocritical bald donkey had been abducted by the Yellow Robe Monster, the journey west had fallen into a desperate situation again.

Pigsy truly did not want to go see the Monkey King; he had already guessed the outcome after he went there.

It would surely be unbearable to watch.

Who is to blame for this? Who told him to have a loose mouth?loose mouth?