Volume 3: A Long Journey, Chapter 251: The Battle of Silver Horn

Nezha frowned and said, “Which demon is so bold as to threaten the ghosts and immortals under the Heavenly Court?” The ghosts and immortals glanced at each other, but none dared to speak.
Earthly Deity Star Lord said, “Third Prince, calm down. There’s no need to ask them; the Great Sage surely knows.” Wukong replied, “That demon is behind these three mountains. They’re called Golden Horn and Silver Horn Kings.”
Nezha ordered the earth gods and mountain spirits to move the three mountains aside. Sure enough, another steep peak appeared. Without greeting Tang Seng, Zhu Bajie, or the others, he was clearly in a bad mood. Wukong led Nezha to the Lotus Cave and said, “This is where those two demons live.”
Upon seeing the demon lair, Nezha immediately drew his demon-slaying sword and shouted at the small demons at the entrance, “Go in and announce that Third Prince Nezha has come to subdue the demons!”
These small demons had heard of Nezha’s name and were terrified. They entered the cave and said, “Your Majesty, something bad has happened!”
Silver Horn asked, “What is it?”
The small demon replied, “The three mountains have been moved aside. That Nezha from the sky is challenging you at the entrance. He wants you to come out—he wants to subdue you!”
Hearing the confused words of the small demon, Silver Horn kicked him away and snapped, “Subdue me? With that child who never grows up?” Golden Horn said, “Brother, don’t underestimate him. Nezha’s Heavenly Ribbon is very powerful.”
Silver Horn wore a Seven-Star Sword at his waist, a jade flask in his hand, and a banana fan around his neck. Puffed up with pride, he asked, “Brother, do you think I’m mighty?” Golden Horn waved his hand and said, “Know your place.”
Silver Horn replied, “I certainly know my limits.”
Silver Horn King stepped out of the cave and saw Third Prince Nezha standing in front with a weapon in hand, while Wukong and Earthly Deity Star Lord stood behind him. Smirking, he said, “Sun Wukong is really incompetent. How could he find a child as an ally?”
Nezha hated it the most when people called him a child. Without saying a word, he swung his demon-slaying sword at Silver Horn. Silver Horn quickly drew his Seven-Star Sword to meet it. With a clang, the two weapons clashed. Nezha despised him inwardly, thinking, “How dare your weapon withstand my demon-slaying sword? It’ll be broken in half with just one strike!”
But the Seven-Star Sword wasn’t damaged at all; instead, it sent Nezha’s sword flying back. Nezha realized something was wrong and looked closely at the blade—there was a crack the size of a grain of rice. Shocked, he asked, “What kind of sword is this?”
Silver Horn laughed and said, “The Child-Slaying Sword!”
Enraged, Nezha swung his Heavenly Ribbon at Silver Horn. Silver Horn cried, “Perfect timing!” Knowing the Heavenly Ribbon was hard to deal with, he drew his banana fan and swiped it three times.

His banana fan was different from the one in the Bull Demon King’s hands. This fan targeted the Bing and Ding flames in the southeast, directly facing the Palace of Separation. When he waved it, fire suddenly appeared out of thin air on the ground, with blazing flames rising into the sky and swirling toward Nezha.

Wukong, who was watching from behind, was unafraid of fire, but he still pulled Earthly Virtue Star Lord and said, “Star Lord, hurry and dodge!”

This fire was no ordinary fire—it wasn’t celestial fire, nor earthly fire, nor lightning from furnaces or mountains. It was the martial and civil fire refined in the Old Lord’s furnace. As this divine fire emitted a purple glow, the rocks on the mountain top instantly melted.

Nezha, valuing his magical treasures, quickly retracted his Rainbow Silk and turned to flee. Then they heard Silver Horn laughing loudly, “I thought I was so powerful, but it turns out it was just a trick!”

Wukong and the other two stood in the air, watching Silver Horn showing off below. Nezha said angrily, “Where did this monster get this precious fan? With such a fan in hand, who can defeat him?”

Wukong blurted out, “I’m the one who fears fire the most. Otherwise, I wouldn’t need your help.”

Earthly Virtue Star Lord said, “As the saying goes, water can extinguish fire. Why not invite Water Virtue Star Lord to subdue him?”

Wukong replied awkwardly, “That’s true, but I’m not familiar with Water Virtue Star Lord. What should we do?”

Earthly Virtue Star Lord said, “Since we’re faced with this situation, we can’t refuse. How about the Great Sage and I go together?”

Wukong rejoiced, “That would be great!”

Nezha said, “You two go ahead. I’ll return to report to the Jade Emperor.”

Wukong bowed and said, “Thank you, Third Prince.” Nezha ignored Wukong, still considering him a monster, and coldly said, “The Jade Emperor’s orders must not be violated.” Then he flew away.

Wukong thought to himself that this ignorant fellow was far inferior to Earthly Virtue Star Lord in terms of character.

Earthly Virtue Star Lord and Wukong arrived at the Northern Heavenly Gate, where they happened to meet the King of Knowledge. When the King of Knowledge saw Earthly Virtue Star Lord bringing Wukong along, he stepped forward and asked, “Where are you going, Star Lord? Is this the demon king of Flower-Fruit Mountain, Sun Wukong?”

Wukong smiled and said, “That’s right! I’m no longer a demon. I’m now protecting Tang Seng on his journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures. We encountered difficulties along the way, so I’ve come to ask Water Virtue Star Lord for help.”

The King of Knowledge said, “Water Virtue Star Lord is in Wu Hao Palace. Please come with me.” As the two of them walked away, the King of Knowledge muttered, “Hmph, just because you say you’re not a demon, does it mean you really aren’t?”

Upon arriving at Wu Hao Palace, the gods of water blocked Wukong at the palace gate again. Wukong thought, “It’s really hard to get things done when there’s no one in power.” He said nothing and left everything to Earthly Virtue Star Lord to handle.

Earthly Virtue Star explained his purpose. In a moment, Water Virtue Star adjusted his attire and came out to greet him, leading him into the palace and asking, “Which demon is so difficult to subdue?” Wukong replied, “That demon isn’t particularly powerful; it just has a fan that can shoot fire. That’s why I’ve come to ask Water Virtue Star to defeat it.” Water Virtue Star said, “I’m not afraid of fire. I’ll go with you!” Wukong led Water Virtue Star out of the Northern Heavenly Gate and straight to the entrance of the Lotus Cave, calling out, “You demon, open the door!” The little demon guarding the door, hearing Sun Wukong’s voice, hurriedly reported, “Your Majesty, that monkey is here again!” Upon hearing this, Silver Horn laughed heartily, “This Sun Wukong really has some skills. I wonder who he’s brought this time!” Golden Horn said, “He doesn’t even try to fight himself but only calls for reinforcements—exactly what we want.” Silver Horn nodded and said, “I’ll show him what it means to be invincible, so that everyone in heaven and earth will know the power of our mystic treasures!” Silver Horn left the cave and saw Water Virtue Star, saying, “You old man, why aren’t you staying at home to enjoy your retirement? Are you seeking death?” Water Virtue Star replied, “Dareful demon, daring to defy heaven’s authority! Let me capture you!” Silver Horn hid his hands behind his back and secretly opened the mouth of the purple-golden red gourd downward, saying, “If you’ve got the guts, come at me! But I won’t kill nameless ghosts. What’s your name?” “I am Water Virtue—” Before Water Virtue Star could finish speaking, he vanished with a whoosh, having been sucked into the purple-golden red gourd. Silver Horn displayed his magical weapon and laughed loudly, “With such weak skills, how dare you claim to capture me?” Wukong pulled Water Virtue Star away, asking in alarm, “What was that? How could it absorb someone without reason?” Water Virtue Star looked gloomy and said, “The Great Sage asked me. How could I possibly know?” Wukong rubbed his hands anxiously, saying, “That demon is too powerful. What should we do? If we can’t cross this mountain, how can we reach the Western Heaven?” Water Virtue Star replied, “We need to seek out the Supreme Heavenly Emperor. I truly am powerless.” As they spoke, Nezha arrived with several people. Upon closer inspection, Wukong recognized them as old acquaintances. It turned out Nezha had reported to the Jade Emperor, who, upon hearing about the powerful demon, sent the four great astrologers along with Fire Virtue and Wood Virtue Stars. These people were all prominent figures; they first greeted Wukong politely before heading back to the Lotus Cave. Hearing that the demon had captured Water Virtue Star using his magical weapon, they were shocked. Wukong said, “It’s better if we don’t respond when that demon speaks, so as not to fall victim to his tricks.”

Fire Deity had the most irritable temper. Seeing no one at the entrance of the cave, he threw several fireballs at it, causing the cave door to catch fire immediately. Wukong silently compared it—the fire of Fire Deity was not much different from his own fire control skills, but it was far inferior to Zhu Rong’s.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from inside the cave: “Open!”

The cave door swung wide, but no one came out. Soon, fierce flames burst forth from inside. Yin Jiao laughed heartily from within the cave, “How does my fire compare to yours?”

Wukong and the others quickly dodged. Fire Deity was shocked by the intensity of the fire. Though he had great experience with fire-based powers, he found it difficult to control the fire emitted by this fan.

After a while, the flames subsided. King Yin Jiao leaped out of the cave and shouted, “With more people this time, it’s a bit more interesting.”

Of course, no one replied. Zhang Daoling formed a seal in his hand and shouted, “Quick!” Suddenly, a golden seal glowing brightly appeared above King Yin Jiao’s head. Yin Jiao reacted swiftly, laughing, “You want to compete in magic with me?”

He vanished into the ground in an instant and reappeared ten zhang away. Zhang Daoling summoned another talisman, triggering a violent wind that carried countless sharp blades, ensnaring Yin Jiao.

Yin Jiao shouted, “Break!” In an instant, the fierce wind dissipated, restoring clarity to the world.

Zhang Daoling was shocked. He claimed to have a thorough understanding of the five thousand true words of the Tao Te Ching and grasped its profound principles. It was only after comprehending this doctrine that he founded the Celestial Master Sect and created countless talismans, alchemical texts, and cloud seals. Nine out of ten of the powers possessed by Taoists in the world originated from these. Yet, his own spells as the founder of the Celestial Master Sect were effortlessly countered by someone with just a few words!