Volume 1: Unsayable Chapter 53: Drawing the Sword to Help

Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun roared, “Retreat!”
The dark clouds in the distance paused for a moment but hesitated only slightly before continuing forward. Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun was momentarily stunned before smiling and saying, “Very good! The greater your abilities, the more useful you are to me!”
As the dark clouds drew nearer, the people could see clearly that they were not clouds at all, but countless demons and monsters from unknown origins, all clad in black clothes and armor, with resolute expressions on their faces—determined that nothing, not even mountains of knives or seas of fire, could stop them.
Among these immortals, gods, and demons, the strongest were at most at the third or fourth level of earthly immortals; none of them were particularly formidable. Yet Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun’s expression grew grave.
The countless demons and monsters roared and charged headlong at Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun. With a wave of his left sleeve, a barrier appeared out of thin air, solid as metal and stone, adorned with golden runes. As the demons approached, the runes emitted dazzling light that struck them, causing them to scream in pain. Countless corpses fell from the sky, their limbs scattered among the rocks, turning the once beautiful landscape into a hellish realm.
Although Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun had the upper hand, he dared not relax even slightly. With each burst of light from the golden runes, their color dimmed slightly. In just a short while, the barrier was shattered by the relentless attacks of the fearless demons.
Anger flashed across Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun’s face as he shouted, “If you remain obstinate, I’ll make your life worse than death!”
Jiuling Yuansheng, unafraid, replied with a smile, “Even if I’m torn to pieces, it’s better than serving as a lackey for a tyrant!”
At the words “serve as a lackey,” Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun’s usually calm face changed color. He said, “You beast! What nonsense are you talking?” He unleashed his power, tightening the chains even more, causing streams of blood to drip from Jiuling Yuansheng’s body. By then, the Bagua mirror had kept the demons at a distance. After another moment, the black-clothed demons, seemingly unable to withstand the sunlight, vanished without a trace.
Now free from pressure, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun focused all his attention on Jiuling Yuansheng. “Just say ‘I surrender,’ and I’ll spare you suffering. How about that?”
Jiuling Yuansheng replied, “Delusional!”
Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun said, “Very well. Then let me show you my Nine-Colored Divine Light!” He pursed his lips, formed a hand seal, and a rainbow-like beam shot from the handle of his staff, traveling along the chains to cover Jiuling Yuansheng in an instant.
It was unclear what power this divine light possessed, but Jiuling Yuansheng let out a muffled groan, seemingly struggling to endure the pain.

Wukong saw the two fighting fiercely for a long time and said to the Bull Demon King, “This Lion-Man is taking all the hits and doesn’t seem to have any special abilities.” The Bull Demon King replied seriously, “That’s not right. If a Lion-Man develops nine heads, he becomes the king among them. If he had become the Lion-Man king early on, his skill of moving mountains would be unmatched—even the Heavenly Lord of Saving Suffering would have to give way. But now that the Heavenly Lord took the initiative and captured him in the air first, it’s naturally difficult for him to turn things around.”

Lion-Man king? Moving mountains? Wukong connected these two ideas. Could it be that the Nine Spirit Sacred Being was actually the Lion Camel King among the Seven Great Saints? No, this was very strange. Although the names Lion-Man king and Lion Camel King differed by just one character, they were both extremely important to him. If he really was the Lion Camel King, he, Old Sun, would fight to the death to save him at least once—otherwise, wouldn’t the gathering of the Seven Great Saints be in vain? Since this was mentioned in “Journey to the West,” it must be the will of heaven, something no Heavenly Lord could change.

Wukong asked again, “Brother, have you heard of the Lion Camel King?” The Bull Demon King looked puzzled. “Lion Camel King? Such a thing doesn’t exist in the world.” Wukong laughed and said, “Brother, you’re too arrogant. How can you possibly know everything in the world?” The Bull Demon King curled his lips and said, “Leave aside everything else—just these various strange creatures. Even if I can’t remember them all, I’ve at least heard their names. If I say they don’t exist, then they don’t exist!”

“Great!” Wukong was overjoyed. Since there was no Lion Camel King, it was highly likely that this Lion-Man king was the Mountain-Moving Great Saint among the Seven Great Saints. It seemed later generations had misinterpreted and given him the wrong name. Now that things had come to this, he must save him once to align with the will of heaven.

Wukong said, “I see that this Lion-Man king has a fierce temperament, seemingly sharing the same resolve as us. We’re both demons—how about we save him once?”

The Wind-Communicating One said, “If you say we should save him, then let’s save him!” The Bull Demon King pondered for a moment before saying, “That Heavenly Lord is extremely arrogant. Even I, Old Bull, can’t bear to see him suffer. Let’s save him!”

At that moment, under the cover of the nine-colored divine light, the Lion-Man king’s body was gradually shrinking, his expression listless, as if half-asleep. Seeing that the situation was critical, Wukong shouted, “You demon, stop!”

A weighty Ruyi Jingu Bang descended from above with a whooshing sound, aiming straight at the Heavenly Lord of Saving Suffering’s vital points. The Heavenly Lord narrowed his eyes. With his cultivation level, he had long sensed someone watching from afar but didn’t know if they were friends or enemies, so he hadn’t provoked them until now, though he had been on guard. Seeing the extraordinary power of Wukong’s strike, like a mountain pressing down, he quickly dodged.

As soon as he settled back, the Bull Demon King swung his iron rod like a weapon that could sweep through armies, coming straight at him. The Heavenly Lord dodged while shouting, “Who are you? How dare you stop me from doing my duty?”

Wukong and his two companions did not respond either; instead, they attacked with fierce intensity. They knew that the Heavenly Venerable Taiyi was no ordinary opponent, and only by pressing him hard could they have a chance to save the people. As expected, with such relentless attacks, the pressure on Jiu Ling Yuan Sheng decreased significantly. He slightly opened his eyes and saw reinforcements arrive, though he did not recognize them, which puzzled him. However, with the pressure eased, he was able to regain his strength. How could he miss such an opportunity?