34: Chapter 35 Non-Original II

The four Master and Disciples proceeded cautiously along the way, slowing their pace, while Monkey King stopped from time to time to scout the surroundings for any movement.

However, that demon seemed to have completely vanished; it did not appear again, and the mountainside returned to its usual tranquility.

Only the rustling of wind through the leaves remained, which instead made one feel increasingly uneasy.

Tang Seng was walking wearily, and seeing a flat, bluestone clearing ahead, he spoke up.

"Monkey King, we have been traveling for a long time, and I am quite weary. Why don't we rest here for a moment before continuing on our way?"

Monkey King looked around, confirmed there was no Demonic Qi for the moment, and nodded.

"Very well. Master, please rest here. I, along with Brother Ao Lie and Pigsy, will stand guard in the surroundings to prevent any sneak attacks from the demon."

The group stopped, and Tang Seng sat on the bluestone, closing his eyes to regulate his breath.

Ao Lie stood guard by Tang Seng's side; while he appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, he was actually spreading his Shadow Power to cover the entire clearing, so that even the slightest movement could be detected immediately.

A moment later, Monkey King jumped down from a tree, his brows furrowed, and he said in a deep voice.

"Strange. This demon is clearly nearby, yet I cannot detect its exact location. It must be hiding in the shadows, waiting for us to lower our guard before launching a sneak attack."

Hearing this, Ao Lie spoke up.

"Senior Brother, this demon is cunning and suspicious. If we wait passively, it will certainly not appear easily. Why don't we set a trap to actively lure it out, and then subdue it in one fell swoop?"

Monkey King's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands.

"Brother Ao Lie is absolutely right! That is exactly what I was thinking! This demon is bent on eating Tang Seng's flesh; as long as Master is here, it will surely appear. We shall use its own plan against it, set a trap, and wait for it to walk right into our net!"

Pigsy hurriedly stepped forward and asked curiously.

"Senior Brother, what is your brilliant plan? Tell me quickly, I, old Pig, will definitely cooperate fully!"

Monkey King lowered his voice and carefully laid out the plan for the three of them.

"Master, you remain seated on this bluestone, pretending to rest with your eyes closed. Do not show any defense, and intentionally give the demon an opportunity. Pigsy, you hide behind the tree nearby and keep your figure concealed. When the demon appears to capture Master, do not act rashly; keep your eyes on the demon and cut off its escape route. Brother Ao Lie, you stand guard on the flank and restrain it from the shadows to prevent the demon from playing any tricks. I will hide in the clouds; as soon as the demon appears, I will strike immediately to surround it completely, leaving it with no way to escape!"

Everyone nodded after hearing this and replied in unison.

"Good! We shall act according to Senior Brother's plan!"

Immediately, the group split up to act.

Tang Seng remained seated on the bluestone, eyes closed tightly, feigning a weary, resting appearance.

There was no defense around him, appearing completely unguarded, serving as bait to lure the demon out.

Once everything was set, the mountain forest fell into silence, with only the faint breathing of the Master and Disciples remaining.

Time passed bit by bit, the sun gradually slanted westward, yet the demon still did not appear.

Pigsy, hiding behind the big tree, gradually became impatient and muttered to himself.

"Why hasn't this demon appeared yet? Could it have seen through Senior Brother's plan? My legs are almost numb from hiding."

Just as he was about to move, he saw Monkey King in the clouds immediately give him a look.

Signaling him to stay calm, Pigsy hurriedly settled down and continued to wait quietly.

After another moment, a sinister wind blew through the previously calm mountain forest.

Black fog slowly spread from the depths of the dense forest, and that familiar Demonic Qi quietly permeated the area once more.

Monkey King, hidden in the clouds, had a sharp look in his eyes and thought to himself.

"It's here! This demon really couldn't hold back!"

Visible within the black fog, that dark shadow slowly appeared once again.

It was still shrouded in black fog, its true face indistinguishable; it cautiously poked its body out and scanned the surroundings vigilantly.

Seeing Tang Seng sitting alone on the bluestone with no one guarding his side, and the others resting far away with no defense, it was overjoyed, thinking it had found the perfect opportunity.

The demon hesitated for a moment on the spot, and after confirming there was no danger.

It could no longer suppress the urge to eat Tang Seng's flesh; its figure flashed, turning into a streak of light, and with claws outstretched, it lunged straight toward Tang Seng on the bluestone.

It let out a shrill roar, determined to carry Tang Seng away in one go!

Just as the demon was about to reach Tang Seng, Tang Seng suddenly opened his eyes and dodged to the side.

At the same time, a loud shout rang out from the clouds.

"Demon! Your death day has arrived!"

Monkey King instantly swooped down from the clouds, the Golden Cudgel carrying the force of ten thousand jun, smashing straight down onto the demon's head, blocking all its escape routes.

The demon was terrified, realizing only then that it had fallen into a trap; it hurriedly turned to flee, but it was already too late.

"Where are you running, demon!"

Pigsy suddenly darted out from behind the big tree, swung the Nine-toothed Rake to block the demon's path, and shouted loudly.

"I, old Pig, have been waiting here for you for a long time!"

Ao Lie also stepped forward at the same time, standing on the other side, forming a pincer movement with Monkey King and Pigsy, surrounding the demon completely.

Seeing itself trapped, the demon immediately panicked.

The black fog around its body surged, and it wanted to use tricks again to break out, but Monkey King gave it no chance at all.

The Golden Cudgel danced without a gap, every strike aiming straight for the demon's vital points, as he shouted sternly.

"You cunning demon, you dare to set traps to deceive us, and even dare to harm my Master! Today, let's see where you can escape to!"

The demon exchanged a few rounds with Monkey King and knew it was no match, being beaten back step by step.

The black fog gradually dissipated, finally revealing its true form—it turned out to be a fox demon that had Cultivated for a thousand years.

It had a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, its Demonic Qi was dissipating, and it had already fallen into a disadvantage.

Seeing that it was no match, the fox demon wanted to kneel and beg for mercy, but Monkey King gave it no chance at all, saying coldly.

"You demon, you have committed many evils and are bent on eating my Master. If I spare you today, you will surely continue to plague the world in the future!"

With that, Monkey King unleashed his Divine Ability, pulled out the Golden Cudgel, which grew several zhang in length, and smashed it fiercely toward the fox demon.

The fox demon wanted to resist but was powerless to turn the tide; it was struck by the Golden Cudgel, let out a miserable scream, and fell to the ground.

After struggling a few times, it lost its breath, its Demonic Qi completely dissipated, revealing its original fox form.

Confirming the demon was dead, Monkey King put away the Golden Cudgel and smiled at the others.

"Alright, this cunning demon has been killed by me, and it will never come to harass us again."

Pigsy hurriedly stepped forward, flattering him.

"Senior Brother is truly amazing! Once your brilliant plan was put into action, this demon was immediately subdued. Senior Brother's abilities are indeed superior!"

Tang Seng also stood up and smiled at Monkey King with relief.

"Monkey King, this time it is thanks to your resourcefulness in setting this plan that we subdued this cunning demon and kept ourselves safe. It is all thanks to you."

Monkey King scratched his head and replied with a smile.

"Master is too kind. Subduing demons and protecting Master on the journey west is the Disciple's duty. This demon was cunning and suspicious; if we hadn't used its own plan against it, it would have been truly difficult to subdue it completely."

Ao Lie walked forward, looked at the fox demon's true form on the ground, and spoke indifferently.

"This demon excelled at hiding and tricks; if not for Senior Brother's superior wit, we would likely have had to go through much more trouble. Now that the demon is removed, we should continue on our way and cross this mountain as soon as possible to avoid further complications."

Everyone nodded, having no objections.

Pigsy stepped forward, dragged the fox demon's corpse into the nearby dense forest, and cleaned up the scene.

After this battle, Pigsy never dared to act recklessly again and was even more obedient to Monkey King.