Volume 1: Unspeakable – Chapter 23: The Pitiful Demon

The man laughed bitterly. “Very well, if that’s the case, then come!” He leaped upward, waved his arm, and threw his inner core among more than a dozen heavenly soldiers.
“Bad! He’s about to explode his golden core!” Before the cry faded, a deafening explosion shook the sky; severed limbs and broken bodies flew everywhere. Seven or eight of the heavenly soldiers were severely injured. Exploding one’s golden core was the most vicious spell, with immense power. Yet whether cultivating as an immortal or a demon, if one’s golden core exploded, all their cultivation efforts would be wasted, leaving them no different from ordinary people.
At the moment the golden core exploded, the handsome man turned into a small fox and plummeted from the sky. The woman named Yu Er on the ground, seeing her husband explode his golden core, didn’t bother using earthearthearth escape translates to earth escape.. She rushed out of the bushes and embraced the man.
“You fool, why haven’t you left yet?” came the weak voice of the small fox.
“If I leave, who will hold you? Let’s die together—it doesn’t matter,” the woman said calmly, as if sharing the most intimate words with her husband. “If our child finds out, they won’t blame us, right?”
The small fox nodded weakly. “Mm, they won’t… they won’t.”
The heavenly soldiers were furious. Though they were called heavenly soldiers, they had little combat experience. Unlike these two fox spirits, who lived in constant fear and acted ruthlessly without hesitation, they thought they had a sure victory and were caught off guard by the golden core’s trick.
“Ugh, it drives me mad!” The leader of the heavenly soldiers was slightly more skilled and remained unharmed, but his seven or eight subordinates were injured, requiring many pills for treatment. What angered him most was that these two fox demons dared to be so defiant—where was his face?
He produced a spiritual talisman and was about to use his killing move. Just as the two fox demons seemed doomed, a deep voice rang out: “Who is fighting here, disturbing your grandfather’s peaceful sleep?”
Although the leader heard someone speaking, he continued casting his spell. A purple light flashed across the talisman, which then turned to ashes. Soon after, a purple lightning rod as thick as a bowl descended from the sky silently but at great speed, striking the two fox demons on the ground. Filled with rage, the leader used the “Mysterious Thunder Talisman” given to him by a heavenly general. This talisman was the strongest among the five-element talismans. Though the one in his hand wasn’t of high grade, using it on these two fox demons was still an overkill.

The two fox demons, knowing they had no chance, closed their eyes, but their expressions were serene, as if they were not going to death but rather immersed in the spring breeze and floral scents. The leader of the heavenly soldiers thought, “Whoever you are, eliminate these two demons first.”

With a hum mixed with slight anger, a mountain-like giant figure appeared before the heavenly soldiers, shielding the two fox demons beneath him.

In the blink of an eye, a purple lightning bolt struck that massive body with a soft “pop.” The man raised his head and laughed, “What the hell is this? Quite powerful.”

Upon closer inspection, this man was at least forty feet tall, with a bull’s head and human body. His white jade-colored horns resembled curved swords, sharp and gleaming. He wore a Taoist robe, though it was tattered. The purple lightning strike left no trace on him at all.

The heavenly soldiers were already terrified but still tried to hold their ground: “Who are you? How dare you obstruct the work of the Heavenly Court!”

The bull-headed man asked, “What is the Heavenly Court?”

“You—you! How bold you are!” Seeing his imposing presence, the leader of the heavenly soldiers realized it was useless for his men to attack. He said, “Don’t leave yet. I’ll report this to the heavenly generals, and only you will be held accountable!”

“Leave? You disturbed my sleep and haven’t even been punished yet. Here’s a punch for you!” With that, he stepped forward and threw a punch. More than a dozen heavenly soldiers screamed in pain as they were sent flying. Thinking their lives were lost, they were surprised to find that despite the severe pain, they landed safely without a single injury.

The bull-headed man laughed heartily, “Just scaring you guys. It’s evened out. Get lost!”

The leader of the heavenly soldiers dared not speak anymore. He had come to the mortal world hoping to capture some demons for rewards, but instead suffered heavy losses and encountered a powerful enemy. He would definitely report this back, even if it meant facing severe punishment—he couldn’t allow demons to run amok.

As the heavenly soldiers flew away on clouds, the fox demon Yu Er bowed deeply, “Thank you, immortal, for saving my life.”

The bull-headed man, who had been so imposing moments ago, became somewhat awkward when he saw a beautiful woman kneeling before him. Not knowing whether to help or not, he stepped aside and reverted to his normal size. He said, “What nonsense about an immortal? Demons are just demons—there’s nothing shameful about it!”

Yu Er remained kneeling and said, “I wonder if… sir, you could lend another hand to save my husband. I would be eternally grateful.”

The bull-headed man said, “Get up first and talk!” He bent down to look at the male fox. It was lying in Yu Er’s arms, barely alive. Even if its life could be saved, its cultivation skills would be completely lost. Frowning, he said, “Its inner core is gone. What can I do? I only know how to kill, not how to heal!”

Seeing his bold actions and honest words, and realizing they were not mere pleasantries, Yu Er lowered her gaze, her eyes dimming. Just then, a high-pitched voice said, “Saving people? I know how to do that!” The three turned in the direction of the voice and saw a slender figure slowly emerging from a tree trunk too thick to encircle—it was none other than Sun Wukong. Wukong had been away from Flower-Fruit Mountain for half a month, wandering through the clouds and mountains, enjoying a carefree time. Along the way, he encountered injustices and used his powers to punish the wicked and uphold justice. With his great magical abilities, he unconsciously tasted the satisfaction of deciding life and death, finding great joy in it. Another reason that kept him going was that with each act of kindness, an indescribable energy would increase within him, to varying degrees. Wukong thought this must be fate—doing good deeds accumulated fate, which in turn increased his spiritual power, which then turned into magical strength. Thus, there was indeed a reason behind doing good deeds. That day, as Wukong passed by, he saw a group of heavenly soldiers attacking two fox demons. Not wanting to clash with them prematurely, he concealed himself and watched quietly. Seeing the two fox demons at their wits’ end, Wukong felt pity and wanted to help, but at that moment, he noticed magical fluctuations emanating from a large rock not far away. Soon, the rock transformed into a minotaur, driving away all the heavenly soldiers. Wukong was secretly amazed—such concealment skills were on par with his own Thirty-Six Transformations. Seeing the minotaur’s behavior suit his own tastes, he couldn’t resist appearing to meet him. Little did he know, the minotaur was also surprised that he hadn’t detected Wukong’s hiding place from such close range, not realizing that the minotaur’s magic shared similarities with Wukong’s Thirty-Six Transformations. Yu Er, seeing that Wukong claimed he could save her husband’s life and that his magic was astonishing, immediately knelt before him, pleading earnestly with tearful eyes. Wukong pretended to be profound and said, “I see that you two love each other deeply and neither wants to live alone. Such devotion can move even heaven and earth, so I’ll teach you a method to survive.” Yu Er said, “Please, immortal, grant me your wisdom.” Wukong frowned and said, “I’m not an immortal. Even if beasts achieve enlightenment, they are at most demon immortals. In my view, demons are still demons—they’re no less than immortals. What’s wrong with that?” Wukong was clever; his words were meant to flatter the minotaur. Sure enough, the minotaur smiled slightly upon hearing Wukong agree with him.

Wukong said again, “In the land of Eastern Victory Continent, I have a Flower-Fruit Mountain, a place where all rivers converge, dominating the vast oceans—a true paradise. On that mountain, there are forty or fifty thousand of us demons, all under my command. If you wish, I can send you two there, where you can eat fresh fruits and drink pure springs day after day. With your abilities, it won’t take a hundred years before you can regain your human form. What do you think?”
Upon hearing this, Yu Er was greatly moved, but she still glanced at the male fox on the ground, seeking his opinion with her eyes. The male fox asked, “Can you truly protect us both?”
Wukong laughed and said, “Though we are demons, we also understand brotherly loyalty and sisterly affection. Rest assured.”
Hearing this, the two felt greatly relieved and thanked Wukong once more. Wukong said, “If that’s the case, I’ll take you two on our journey right away, so as to avoid those heavenly soldiers disturbing us again.” He said so much, yet not a word was mentioned about the Ox-Headed Man. Indeed, upon hearing about such a precious place, the Ox-Headed Man became tempted, wanting to speak but too ashamed to do so.