Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 26: Meeting a Strong Enemy
The Bull Demon King was momentarily stunned, then laughed heartily and said, “Brother, you must have stayed indoors for a long time. There are countless people in this world who overestimate their own strength—I’ve grown used to it and see it as mere amusement.”
Wukong had come to understand somewhat of the Bull Demon King’s seemingly simple-minded exterior and sharp inner mind, but hearing such refined words from an old ox still seemed amusing to him.
The Bull Demon King added, “I see your iron staff is quite remarkable. May I borrow it to take a look?”
Wukong replied, “It’s a trivial matter—why not?” He took out the Golden Cudgel from his ear; it grew over four feet long in the wind as he handed it to the Bull Demon King. The Bull Demon King examined the inscriptions on it carefully, then chuckled and returned it to Wukong.
Seeing that the Bull Demon King seemed quite familiar with the cudgel, Wukong asked, “Well?”
The Bull Demon King said, “This is the Sea-Stabilizing Rod from the treasures of the Eastern Sea. I saw it when I traveled there years ago, but it wouldn’t obey me, so I gave up. Now I understand—it was waiting for its destined master to appear. Indeed.”
Wukong was puzzled. He had always been skeptical about fate and such things. He said, “I saw you pick it up effortlessly. How can it say it won’t obey?”
The Bull Demon King replied, “No matter how it changes, the Golden Cudgel remains the same thickness from top to bottom. I’m stronger and prefer using heavier staffs.”
Wukong said, “I see.”
The two talked for a while and drank several jars of fine mountain wine before Wukong got to the point: “Have you ever been to the north of Aolai Country?” The Bull Demon King was stunned and said, “That was a hundred years ago. The place has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and it’s connected to the sea—full of beautiful scenery. But it’s not as good as Flower-Fruit Mountain. Nothing special else.”
Wukong said, “A few days ago, I sensed a strong presence of demons there, which is very different from what you described. It seems it now has a master.”
The Bull Demon King raised his eyebrows, intrigued, and said, “If that’s the case, I, an old ox, love making friends and competing. How about we go take a look?”
Wukong asked, “Just like that? We don’t even know if they’re friends or enemies.”
The Bull Demon King laughed heartily and said, “Brother, you’re too timid. Haven’t you heard that all demons in the world are one family? Haha.”
Wukong also laughed and said, “Brother, you’re truly open-minded. If that’s the case, why not go and see?”
The two set off immediately. It took only a short while to reach Aolai Country. Even before reaching the mountains, they saw thick black mist covering several peaks tightly.
The Bull Demon King exclaimed happily, “What remarkable magic!” He stepped forward and dived into the mist. Wukong, fearing an ambush, hurried after him.
Though the dark mist was thick, it could not stop these two. Before them lay a magnificent mountain scene: amidst the green mist, the cries of apes could be heard at the valley entrance; among the lush greenery, the cries of cranes in the pines could be heard from time to time. The gushing springs brought a chill that made one’s hair freeze, while the towering peaks sent a cool breeze that startled one’s soul. From time to time, the roars of fierce beasts could be heard, along with the occasional chirping of mountain birds.
The Bull Demon King laughed again, “What a fierce aura! Not inferior to mine, the old ox’s.” Seeing no one in the mountains, Wukong used his magic and roared loudly, “Duo!” This startled the birds in the mountains, causing them to fall from the sky, and the beasts in the forest to flee in panic.
Gradually, the thick mist ahead dissipated, and a huge creature emerged from between the two mountains. If not looked at closely, it might have seemed like another mountain peak moving high in the air. Wukong focused his gaze and saw that the creature’s face was indistinct. It had all four limbs, a slender waist, and long arms. Its feet hung in the air. Upon closer inspection, it was using its arms to swing between the two mountain peaks, as if playing on a swing.
The Bull Demon King shouted, “Hey there, buddy! If you’ve had enough fun, come down now!”
Finally, the creature spoke, “You two fools, what are you doing in my Aolai Peak?”
Wukong laughed and said, “The world is vast—when did it become your property?”
The creature sneered, “Smooth-talking, but I wonder if you can even take a hit.” It released its arms, its figure gradually shrank, and in a blur, it vanished without a trace. Wukong felt a strong sense of danger and immediately used his transformation spell to dodge ten zhang away. He saw a blade-like flash where he had stood just moments before. If he hadn’t dodged quickly, the blow would have struck him.
Still shaken, Wukong was furious at the creature’s vicious tactics. He shouted, “Brother, step aside! Let me fight him!”
The Bull Demon King laughed and said, “Fine, I’ll give you half an hour!”
The creature let out a strange cackle, “Even if you two come together, what can you do?”
Wukong listened carefully and realized the laughter came from all directions. As the mist grew thicker, it didn’t completely hinder his senses, but it was still somewhat uncomfortable for him. He used the “Invisible Stand” spell to disappear into thin air, then used “See Through Walls” to look around and finally locate the creature.
The creature was perched atop a towering ancient tree. It wore soft armor and sturdy, tight-fitting boots with hollowed-out fronts, revealing ten sharp claws like blades. Its face was sharp and monkey-like, with fierce eyes that clearly indicated it was a wild and untamable being.
Wukong concealed his form and rushed forward, swinging his Ruyi Jingu Bang to strike. The monster was extremely agile; sensing the incoming force, it raised its arms to block it. With a loud clang, Wukong felt his arms go numb, while the monster screamed in pain, clearly suffering a heavy loss. It turned out the monster wore arm cuffs, which allowed it to withstand the attack. Wukong was quite surprised—this monster dared to block his Ruyi Jingu Bang with its arms, given the weapon’s immense weight and force. His surprise attack hadn’t yielded much advantage either.
Wukong laughed and said, “How about now?”
The monster didn’t answer. It stretched out its sharp claws and charged at Wukong, engaging in a fight. Wukong saw that though the monster had no weapons, it was incredibly agile, with sharp claws on its hands and feet—truly a formidable opponent.
Proud of himself, Wukong put away his Ruyi Jingu Bang and fought the monster hand to hand, foot to foot. Having mastered the Qi Tian Gun technique, his own martial skills had also improved, making it perfect for testing against this monster. The two fought fiercely, causing dust to rise and trees to break, yet no clear winner emerged. Nearby, the Bull Demon King was growing anxious. Seeing the monster’s fierce attacks and Wukong’s clever dodges, he was heartbroken and wanted to step in himself.
Eager to continue fighting, Wukong wouldn’t give up easily. After another fifteen minutes of combat, the monster cried, “Let’s rest for today; fight again tomorrow!”
The Bull Demon King urged, “Don’t go! I still haven’t had my fill!” The monster then used a teleportation spell and vanished without a trace.
The Bull Demon King stomped in frustration, saying, “You monkey! You still haven’t captured it after all this time. Why bother?” Wukong replied, “A good opponent is rare—of course I need to practice more.”
The Bull Demon King snapped, “Hmph! You’re too ungenerous. If only you practice by yourself, tomorrow you must let me fight it!”
Seeing the Bull Demon King’s fighting spirit, Wukong laughed and said, “Of course. If you can’t defeat it tomorrow, I’ll fight it the day after.”
The monster left in a hurry. Wukong and the Bull Demon King searched the mountain thoroughly but found it completely empty, with only some powerless birds and animals—no other demons in sight.
Wukong exclaimed in surprise, “This monster is quite powerful. It built such a huge presence all by itself—we must not underestimate it.”
The Bull Demon King agreed, “Of course. After all these years of cultivation, it’s lucky for me to even encounter such a beast.”
Noticing that the Bull Demon King seemed to recognize the monster, Wukong quickly asked, “Brother, you know this monster. What’s its name, and what abilities does it have?”
The Bull Demon King said, “I, an old ox, am dull in talent. Fortunately, I met a great master who taught me martial arts and how to recognize all things in the world. I’m ashamed that my laziness is hard to overcome, and I can only recall a small part of what was taught. Thankfully, this monster possesses great powers, so I haven’t forgotten everything.”
Wukong, tired of the Bull Demon King’s chatter, patiently replied, “He’s just ruthless and agile. I haven’t seen any extraordinary powers in him.”
The Bull Demon King asked, “Have you ever heard of the Yu Yan?”
Wukong exclaimed, “Yu Yan?” Not only had he heard of it, but it was clearly written in Journey to the West that the King of Yu Yan was one of the Seven Great Saints. Yet after the Monkey King rebelled in heaven, his whereabouts became unknown. Wukong had always been puzzled by this—why were the other six of the Seven Great Saints nowhere to be seen during the Monkey King’s rebellion? To say they were heartless seemed too far-fetched. As for the others, he didn’t know much about them, but at least this Bull Demon King and that Peng Demon King were not ordinary demons. There must be a reason behind this. Kings like the Lion Camel King, the King of Yu Yan, and the Dragon Demon King only appeared once among the Seven Great Saints before disappearing forever.