Volume 1: Unsayable Chapter 69: The Roar of the Demonic Flame

Seeing this heavenly general, a truly rare handsome man, Wukong grew suspicious. Could it really be Tian Peng? How could he be so delicate in appearance? He asked, “Who are you? Dare you reveal your name?” Marshal Tian Peng replied, “I am the Marshal Tian Peng personally appointed by the Jade Emperor. Seeing that you are thin and young yet have rebelled, I assume you must have been deceived by demons. If you can turn back now, I will inform the Jade Emperor and grant you a way out. How does that sound?”

Wukong was secretly pleased. Hah, it was indeed him. But this Marshal Tian Peng had a fresh appearance, polite manners, and an air of refinement, with a hint of kindness—completely different from the rough and clumsy Zhu Bajie in his memory. Why was that?

Wukong smiled and said, “The world does not belong to just one person, so there’s no such thing as rebellion. I am the master of this Flower-Fruit Mountain. It’s only I who instigates others; no one instigates me. If you inform the Jade Emperor and appoint me as a celestial lord, then I’ll turn back.”

Upon hearing Wukong’s taunt, Marshal Tian Peng showed no sign of anger. He said, “Since you are the leader of these demons, then I’ll capture you and put an end to this.”

With that, his expression darkened as he swung his precious Golden Halberd at Wukong. Wukong paid it no mind and raised his Ruyi Jingu Bang to block it. With a clang, the two weapons collided. Wukong felt a heavy force on his arm and quickly focused his energy to hold back the strike.

This shock was significant—the halberd’s force was immense, and he had suffered some damage. Wukong wondered why. If judged by skill, Zhu Bajie was only above average in The Journey to the West. How could this Marshal Tian Peng be so powerful?

Wukong abandoned his underestimation and used his full mastery of the Ruyi Jingu Bang. The two divine weapons clashed in the air, sparking and creating deafening noises. Seeing Marshal Tian Peng’s precise and straightforward attacks without any fancy tricks, Wukong could tell of the marshal’s noble character—truly that of a gentleman.

At this moment, if Wukong had used his clone technique, he could likely have defeated his opponent in one move. But he felt a sense of mutual respect and fought fairly against the halberd.

After forty or fifty rounds, since the Nine-Toothed Halberd was much lighter than the Sea-Stabilizing Iron Rod, Marshal Tian Peng found Wukong’s Ruyi Jingu Bang increasingly heavy to block. His movements grew erratic, and his tactics became disorganized—clear signs of defeat.

The Bull Demon King watched from below, envyingly saying, “I, the old ox, love opponents like this—only real fights make me satisfied.”

The Golden-Winged Roc said, “If Wukong were smarter, he would have won long ago. I wonder what schemes he has in mind.”

After another dozen or so rounds of fighting, Wukong swung his Ruyi Jingu Bang like a windmill, leaving no gaps for attack. Marshal Tian Peng felt dizzy and saw a flash before his eyes as the stick struck his shoulder. Though the blow seemed powerful, it didn’t cause much pain. Realizing that Wukong was deliberately holding back, Marshal Tian Peng put away his rake, bowed to Wukong, his eyes drooping and his face turning almost pale before he turned and returned to his formation. Wukong thought to himself, “It’s just one battle lost, yet he looks as if he’s lost a loved one. This Marshal Tian Peng has terrible mental resilience. If I get the chance, I’ll teach him a good lesson.” Having won this battle, Wukong naturally showed off a bit—this wasn’t arrogance, as a major battle was imminent and it was time to boost morale. When Marshal Tian Peng returned to his formation, King Li and the Nine Bright Stars along with the Four Golden Buddhas were disappointed but comforted him, knowing that Marshal Tian Peng was strong in naval battles and might still be needed later. Yet the heavenly soldiers were truly shocked by the combat strength of Flower Fruit Mountain. They didn’t know that Wukong was the leader of Flower Fruit Mountain; they only saw a monkey barely four feet tall defeat Marshal Tian Peng, who was renowned for his strength, leaving them feeling uneasy and believing the conquest would be difficult. The most troubled was King Li, who wanted to achieve great feats to prove his worth but had already lost four battles. With a cold expression, he asked, “Is there any other immortal officer willing to go fight?” The Nine Bright Stars exchanged glances and stepped forward together, saying, “We eight are willing to go!” King Li rejoiced, “If the Nine Bright Stars go, they will surely win at first attempt! Nezha, follow their lead! Someone, beat the drums to boost our morale!” Wukong was still posing in the air and hadn’t returned yet when he saw eight more people charging out of the heavenly soldiers’ formation. These eight wore clothes in distinct colors—black, white, fiery red, or deep blue like water. As they approached, the Water Virtue Star in blue spoke, “Stop being arrogant, you demon monkey! We Nine Bright Stars are here to capture you!” Wukong merely grunted, uninterested. Though the Nine Bright Stars were famous, their strength was mediocre, and they didn’t stand out much in Journey to the West. Meanwhile, Li Jing was watching from behind, anxious. The heavenly soldiers had the advantage in numbers, and he wasn’t in favor of such frontline confrontations. Even Nezha, as a Vastly Exalted Golden Immortal with six magical treasures, couldn’t gain an edge, let alone the others with lower cultivation levels. But now they had to turn things around; only by capitalizing on this victory could the heavenly soldiers launch a full-scale attack. Before ascending to heaven, Li Jing had been the commander of Chentang Pass. His cultivation was average, but at least he understood the importance of pursuing victory. Seeing that the heavenly soldiers had lost one battle but sent another wave, Wukong understood Li Jing’s intentions and thought, “If you want to pursue victory, I’ll give you what you want.”

He swung his staff forward and fought against the Eight Bright Stars. This time, Wukong did not fight in the same way as against Marshal Tianpeng; his movements were erratic, and his figure was barely visible in the air. The Divine Lords of Water, Fire, and Earth all wielded ruthless magical weapons that were now useless. Only the Divine Lords of Metal and Wood, along with Luo Hu and Ji Du, could withstand a few blows. Seeing that he could not defeat Wukong, the Sun Divine Lord let out a fierce roar and revealed his true form—a tiny golden crow the size of a palm. Though small, it was as fast as lightning, constantly hovering behind Wukong, its beak open to spew white flames.

Wukong seemed terrified of these white flames. With a flash, he reappeared and landed on the land of Flower-Fruit Mountain.

Seeing Wukong avoid battle and retreat, Li Jing did not suspect any trickery. He ordered his troops to raise their banners high, the war drums to boom, and shouted, “Pull back the dense networks of heavenly and earthly traps to a hundred zhang apart! Charge forward and wipe out these demons!”

“A hundred zhang apart” meant there was only a hundred-zhang gap between the heavenly and earthly traps, allowing for fighting and movement, but attempting to fly or teleport was futile except for the Taiyi Golden Immortal.

When the Bull Demon King saw Wukong returning to formation, he raised his eyebrows and said, “Brother, have you suffered a loss? Let me avenge you!” Wukong stopped him with a smile, saying, “Now that the heavenly troops are launching a full-scale attack, the six of us should first protect the skies above Flower-Fruit Mountain. As for the other immortal-level demons and beasts, they should go to the eastern slope of the mountain and hold it firmly. The rest of us should spread out on high ground, avoiding low-lying areas and forests to prevent falling victim to the gods’ spells.” This strategy came to Wukong’s mind after seeing the Divine Lords of Water and Fire—he knew that water and fire were merciless, with destructive power that could vary greatly, so such precautions were better than nothing.

Indeed, the heavenly troops descended to the ground, surrounding Flower-Fruit Mountain completely, with only those with advanced magic still hovering in the air.

The six warriors from Flower-Fruit Mountain rose into the air and dispersed according to the six directions. Coincidentally, Wukong encountered Nezha, the Third Prince. Without his demon-slaying sword, Nezha fought with just a single-handed demon-slaying axe. As their weapons clashed, Wukong felt that Nezha’s strength was far inferior to that of Marshal Tianpeng.

After fighting for no more than ten rounds, Nezha was already at a disadvantage. So he shouted, “Transform!” and turned into a being with three heads and six arms, over ten zhang tall, to fight against Wukong. Wukong chuckled—this move seemed all too familiar. He also recited a spell and transformed into a size similar to Nezha’s.

His appearance was truly divine. Earlier, when Wukong was still small, his majestic presence was not yet evident. Now, at ten zhang tall, he wore lotus-thread cloud-step shoes that kept him dry in water and free from dust when stepping on clouds. He was clad in golden armor that shone brightly and was impervious to fire and water. On his head was a purple-gold crown adorned with dragon motifs that seemed to bow as if dragons were passing by, and phoenix motifs that seemed to nod as if phoenixes were landing. In his hand was a Ruyi Jingu Bang as thick as a foot—truly like a celestial deity.

The demons on the ground had never seen such a sight and shouted in unison, “The king is mighty! The king is invincible!”

Wukong wielded his staff with great skill, forcing Nezha to merely defend himself without any chance to counterattack. The battle was truly intense and exhilarating. After a while, Nezha felt his arms grow weak and tired. He wanted to retreat, but saw the nine-headed lion displaying its formidable power, forcing the Eight Bright Stars to retreat step by step. A demon monkey holding a shiny silver ring had already taken away the precious umbrella of the King of Heaven, and the other three Kings of Heaven dared not approach either. A golden-winged roc, fifty zhang long, used its wind-and-thunder wings to block dozens of heavenly generals. Another demon monkey moved back and forth, fighting evenly with the four great celestial masters.