33: Chapter 34 Unorthodox Feelings

After the Monkey King subdued the Yellow Robe Monster of Boyue Cave, abolished his cultivation, and settled Princess Baihuaxiu, he escorted Tang Seng, Ao Lie, and Pigsy as they bade farewell to the King of Baoxiang Kingdom and set off on the journey to the Western Heaven once more.

After this ordeal, Tang Seng had a complete awakening; he no longer listened to slander easily and treated the Monkey King with great respect.

Pigsy also reined in his usual laziness and arrogance, knowing that without his Senior Brother, the pilgrimage would be impossible, and he became much more diligent in carrying the luggage and leading the horse.

Only Ao Lie remained low-key and forbearing, revealing not a shred of his Shadow Power throughout the journey, and simply followed silently at the end of the group.

He secretly used his Shadow Power to scout for Demonic Qi in the surroundings, protecting the Master and disciples while ensuring his own trump cards remained hidden.

He was truly a Master of the underworld role...

One day, they arrived at a high mountain with steep terrain, lush forests, and clouds swirling through the peaks.

A faint trace of Demonic Qi permeated the air, but it was not strong, suggesting no top-tier demon resided there.

Tang Seng, sitting on his horse, gazed at the rolling mountains and asked,

"Monkey King, look at the mist filling these mountains. I wonder if the road ahead is easy to travel, and if there are any demons causing trouble?"

The Monkey King leaped onto the clouds, shaded his eyes with his hand, and scanned the area. After a careful inspection, he descended and replied with a smile,

"Rest assured, Master. There are no powerful demons in these mountains, only the faint presence of a few scattered lesser demons, nothing to fear. We can proceed steadily and cross this mountain before nightfall."

Hearing this, Tang Seng felt relieved and urged his white horse forward to continue the journey.

Pigsy, carrying his Nine-toothed Rake, followed behind the Monkey King, muttering to himself.

"Senior Brother, ever since you returned, we've had smooth sailing, and we don't have to live in fear anymore.

Thinking back to when I went to Flower-Fruit Mountain to invite you back, my heart was racing, terrified that you wouldn't forgive me and wouldn't return to save Master."

The Monkey King glanced back at him and chuckled.

"You fool, you're the one who spouts the most slander on a daily basis. If it weren't for your sincere plea and the fact that Master's safety was at stake, I wouldn't have bothered with you.

In the future, if you dare to stir up trouble or sow discord in front of Master again, see how I deal with you!"

Pigsy quickly scratched his head and smiled apologetically.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! I'll never do it again!

From now on, I'll listen to everything you say, Senior Brother. If you tell me to go east, I won't go west. If you say subdue demons, I won't back down!"

The group chatted and laughed as they traveled, and they were about to cross the mountain ridge.

Suddenly, a fierce wind howled through the mountains, the clouds turned pitch black in an instant, and a thick, intense Demonic Qi swept over them, blotting out the sky and turning the bright day into darkness.

"Watch out! There is Demonic Qi!"

The Monkey King's expression changed. He immediately gripped his Golden Cudgel, stood in front of Tang Seng, and scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes.

"When I scouted earlier, there was clearly only the presence of lesser demons. How could such heavy Demonic Qi suddenly appear? A demon must have deliberately hidden its power to set a trap for us!"

Tang Seng was so frightened that he quickly reined in his horse, his whole body tense. Ao Lie also stepped forward to stand side-by-side with the Monkey King.

He secretly mobilized his Shadow Power to trace the source of the Demonic Qi, while outwardly pretending to summon his Immortal Qi to defend himself, revealing nothing.

Pigsy panicked immediately, holding his Nine-toothed Rake horizontally across his chest, shrinking behind the Monkey King, and said with a trembling voice,

"Senior Brother, th-this Demonic Qi is so heavy, it might be even more powerful than that Yellow Robe Monster. Should we... should we take a detour?"

"You fool, don't be a coward! The demon has already appeared; there's no reason to take a detour!"

The Monkey King scolded him sharply, his eyes fixed on the depths of the dense forest where the Demonic Qi was strongest.

"Let me go and meet this demon. I want to see what kind of sacred being dares to block our path here!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a dark shadow rushed out from the dense forest, moving as fast as lightning.

Wrapped in black mist, its true form was obscured. A sharp screech pierced the air as it lunged straight at Tang Seng, clearly intent on eating Tang Seng's flesh!

"Demon, don't be impudent!" The Monkey King shouted, raising his Golden Cudgel to meet the attack.

Who would have thought the demon was extremely fast and moved in such a bizarre way? It instantly evaded the Monkey King's interception, circled to the side, and lunged directly at Tang Seng.

Tang Seng turned pale with fright, frozen in place. Ao Lie immediately stepped forward, channeling his Immortal Qi to block the front of Tang Seng.

However, he dared not use his full Shadow Power and was temporarily forced back repeatedly by the demon's Demonic Qi.

In the chaos, the demon's figure flickered as it used a Clone technique, turning into a phantom to confuse everyone's vision.

Seeing that the demon was about to harm Master, Pigsy was frantic with worry. Disregarding his fear, he swung his Nine-toothed Rake.

Closing his eyes, he smashed it hard toward the black shadow, shouting,

"Demon! Take this rake and die!"

But his aim was poor, and his vision was obscured by the demon's black mist.

This strike didn't hit the demon at all; instead, it landed precisely on the Monkey King, who had turned back to save them!

With a dull thud, the Nine-toothed Rake landed heavily on the Monkey King's back.

The Monkey King had been focusing all his energy on the demon and was caught completely off guard. He took the blow squarely, stumbled, and nearly fell to the ground.

"You fool! Have you lost your mind!" The Monkey King was both furious and annoyed. He spun around, glared at Pigsy, and roared,

"Instead of hitting the demon, you hit me! Are you trying to rebel!"

Pigsy swung the rake down, but felt something wrong with the impact. He opened his eyes and looked.

Discovering that he had actually hit the Monkey King, he was terrified out of his wits—Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. He quickly dropped the rake, waved his hands repeatedly, and looked panic-stricken.

"Senior Brother! It wasn't me! It was an accident!

I was aiming for the demon, who knew you would suddenly come over? I didn't do it on purpose!"

"You fool, you're useless!" The Monkey King was furious, rubbing his sore back.

He wanted to teach Pigsy a lesson on the spot, but with the demon still present, he couldn't afford to bicker with him.

Taking advantage of the momentary chaos, the demon seized the opportunity. With a swirl of black mist, it lunged at Tang Seng again, trying to kidnap him.

Ao Lie's eyes turned cold. He secretly condensed a wisp of Shadow Power and silently struck the demon's ankle.

The demon's figure jerked, it let out a cry of pain, and its attack slowed down.

The Monkey King, quick-witted and agile, seized the chance. He leaped up and swung his Golden Cudgel horizontally, striking directly at the demon.

Seeing this, the demon dared not take the hit head-on. Forced to give up on capturing Tang Seng, it turned into a burst of black mist and fled in a panic, diving into the depths of the dense forest and vanishing in an instant.

The crisis was temporarily averted. Tang Seng, still shaken, gasped for air and looked at Pigsy, sighing helplessly.

"Pigsy, you were truly reckless this time. You almost injured your Senior Brother and ruined everything."

Pigsy hung his head, his face full of guilt, apologizing repeatedly.

"Master, Senior Brother, I know I was wrong. I was just too anxious and accidentally hurt Senior Brother.

I won't act recklessly again. Please forgive me this once."

The Monkey King snorted coldly and said crossly,

"You fool, you ruin everything every time. If it weren't for the fact that you were eager to protect Master, I would never spare you!

That demon's movement was bizarre, its strength was not weak, and it was familiar with the terrain of this mountain.

It fled this time, but it will certainly come back to cause trouble. We must not let our guard down."

Ao Lie stood to the side and spoke slowly.

"Senior Brother, the Demonic Qi of that demon just now looked powerful, but it was actually weak on the inside.

And its actions were cunning; it didn't just rely on brute force. It must be a demon skilled in trickery.

We must be doubly careful as we continue our journey and make sure we don't fall into its traps again."

The Monkey King nodded, deeply agreeing.

"Brother Ao Lie is right. This demon is very cunning; it deliberately hid its aura and used tricks to confuse us.

From now on, I will walk in front. You all follow closely behind and do not scatter. Pigsy, if you dare to be reckless and impulsive again, I will never let you off lightly!"

"I understand! I will definitely listen to your commands and never act rashly again!"

Pigsy nodded quickly in agreement, picked up his Nine-toothed Rake from the ground, and followed obediently in the middle of the group, not daring to slack off for a second.

After this misunderstanding, the Master and his disciples did not dare to delay any further.

The journey to the West continued.