Volume 1: Unsayable – Chapter 76: Provocation Tactics

The Bull Demon King disliked the Great Roc’s manner and began drinking alone in silence.
Fengtong had been frowning since he sat down. Wukong had been preoccupied with the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Dragon earlier and only noticed now. He asked, “Did you not enjoy killing today?” Fengtong shook his head and quickly returned to his usual state.
Wukong knew there was something wrong but pretended nothing had happened, waiting to ask after the banquet ended.
Since Fuhaijiao had nothing to do, he started chatting with the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Dragon. Though this earth dragon had practiced cultivation for a long time, his talent was rather mediocre. Occasionally, the Heavenly Court would send demon soldiers into battle, and the earth dragon would hide in the soil in a secluded place. Once the fighting stopped, he would emerge and pretend to return as part of the victorious army. Over time, most in the Demon Soldiers Hall knew him and called him the “Battle-avoiding Worm.” He wasn’t annoyed; he just wanted to keep his life.
Seeing that the earth dragon was quite honest, Wukong asked, “Besides the Demon Soldiers Hall, how many more heavenly soldiers does the Heavenly Court have?” The earth dragon replied, “I don’t know that. I guess there are around one or two hundred thousand. We really can’t be considered heavenly soldiers. The true elite heavenly soldiers are mostly human cultivators. Half of them reside in the Fifth Heaven, Mingwenjǔtiān, and the Sixth Heaven, Qiyao Moyitian, while the rest hold important positions throughout the Heavenly Court.”
“These elite heavenly soldiers are different from us. They rise step by step through merit. Those with great skills and good luck might become heavenly generals, or even be granted the status of Great Luo immortals.”
“This battle will leave the Demon Soldiers Hall much emptier!”
Wukong asked further, “Do you know why so many of these demon soldiers are willing to surrender to Flower-Fruit Mountain?”
The earth dragon sighed and said, “To be honest, when we cultivate and reach the level of immortals, ascending to the heavens, we’re full of pride, thinking we can go anywhere in the world. But once we arrive in the Heavenly Court, nine out of ten of us regret it deeply. There, we demons are never treated as equals. We’re constantly ordered around, beaten, and those who break the heavenly laws are killed without anyone caring.”
“I’ve survived for ten thousand years and seen it all clearly. In every major battle, we demons are sent to the front, while human cultivators control us from behind. Though we are demons, isn’t it the fault of those in power?” The earth dragon’s words were filled with sorrow. Everyone present was a demon, and they were all shocked by his words.
Only Wukong laughed heartily and said, “You’re right. It’s not the fault of demons, nor is it the fault of humans. Such is the way of the world—mortals control poultry and livestock, demons feed on mortals, and immortals use demons as slaves. In short, the strong rule! Everything else is nonsense.”

The Golden-Winged Roc said, “Well said! For this phrase ‘the strong rule,’ we must drink a big cup!”
Jiuling Yuansheng and the Sea-Submerging Dragon also deeply agreed. Jiuling Yuansheng said, “Indeed. The path to immortality is long, and there are countless strong ones. If we wish to protect ourselves in this chaotic world, we must treat each other like brothers. Today, I have an idea: my eight brothers and I could become brothers right here on Flower-Fruit Mountain. What do you think?”
The Bull Demon King clapped his hands in approval, “Great! Great! Great!”
The Golden-Winged Roc and the Sea-Submerging Dragon also showed enthusiastic expressions, seemingly in agreement. Wang Yu, Feng Tong, and Wu Zhiqi simply followed Wu Kong’s lead without any reaction.
Seeing that such words came from the usually quiet Jiuling Yuansheng, Wu Kong thought it was sincere and almost agreed. But after pondering for a moment, he said, “Brother Yuansheng, wait.”
Jiuling Yuansheng almost choked. At his level of cultivation, most people cared about face. How could he be rejected when he offered to become brothers with others? If it were someone else, he would have turned hostile immediately, but Wu Kong was his life-saving hero. He was stunned and waited for Wu Kong to explain.
Wu Kong waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to bring the ten-thousand-year-old earth dragon to Water Curtain Cave to talk to it in his free time. After all, knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle. His own foundation was still weak, and he had no connections in the Heavenly Court, so he could only gather peripheral information and draw inferences from various sources. Though there might be inaccuracies, it was the best he could do.
Seeing that no one else was around, Wu Kong said, “Brothers, I am fortunate to have met and gotten to know you all in this life—a blessing that would take many lifetimes to earn. You are generous, hate evil, fear no power, and have kind hearts. In the whole world, how many people can reach such a level?”
Wu Kong effortlessly used such flattering words, which also softened Jiuling Yuansheng’s expression.
“Just now, Brother Yuansheng said we should become brothers, bound even closer than real siblings, sharing joys and sorrows and ready to fight side by side. But though I’m young, I’ve heard that even siblings can turn on each other, and fathers and sons can fight against each other. How reliable can this brotherhood really be?”
The Bull Demon King snapped, “How can we be compared to those ordinary mortals? Wu Kong, are you belittling us?”
Wu Kong replied, “Brother, don’t worry. How could I think such a thing? Since Brother Yuansheng suggested becoming brothers, I have no reason to refuse. But with the Heavenly Court rampaging and the West stirring, if we demons don’t unite, we’ll surely fall apart. For so long, humans have treated us like food. To be honest, I’ve had enough of this!”

“Why should those in human form be considered superior to us demons? Why can the gods and celestial officials command us demons at will? Why must the bodhisattvas and deities use us demons as mounts? We have endured all these humiliations and oppressions for tens of thousands of years—should we keep enduring them?”
Wukong spoke with passion and fervor. While his talent as an actor from his past played a role, it was more the various experiences he had in this life and the injustices he had witnessed that made him forget his own identity. Now fully immersed in the role, his past life as a human seemed increasingly distant; he was now willing to be a demon!
“In my opinion, we could pioneer a union for demons, establishing a global alliance of demons so that all demons in the world would join us. What do you say?”
“If the gods can create the Heavenly Court and the monks can establish the Western Paradise, why can’t we demons form an alliance in the Eastern Divine Continent? Only then can we force the Heavenly Court to take us seriously. How else?”
The first to applaud in approval was Fuhai Jiao, who was at odds with the Heavenly Court and had no fear of escalating the situation. However, the Bull Demon King and the Golden-Winged Roc fell into deep thought.
Seeing their hesitation, Wukong stoked the fire further: “Just now, Brother Yuan Sheng suggested that we become sworn brothers. To be honest, if you and I were just ordinary people, spending our days drinking, chatting, and traveling for fun, such a bond would indeed be trivial. But now, things are different! If we want to become sworn brothers, I must first see what your ambitions are. If you’re just after momentary pleasure, haha, I, Sun Wukong, would rather face the whole world alone!”
It seems that provocation works better than persuasion. As soon as Wukong spoke these words, not only the Bull Demon King and the Golden-Winged Roc but even Wu Zhiqi couldn’t hold back. With a light leap, his four-foot tall body crushed the stone table to pieces as he shouted, “How dare Wukong underestimate our ambitions?”
Tongfeng said calmly, “Size matters not—only life does.”
Yuan Sheng was furious and roared, “You little monkey! You—!”
The Golden-Winged Roc, eager to crush his teeth in anger, snapped, “You insolent monkey! I rule the seas and dominate the heavens. It’s only you lot who make me look at things differently. I never expected you to look down on me! Then why should I stay here?” With that, he spread his wings and prepared to leave.
Wukong replied calmly, “If you’re leaving, don’t come back!”
The Golden-Winged Roc stamped his foot in anger and said, “What will you do? Do you still want to fight?”
Wukong shouted, “Someone! Set up an altar and bring out fine wine! Today, the eight of us will become brothers, bound together through life and death!”

In the blink of an eye, the altar was set up, and Wukong along with his seven companions knelt before it. Wukong declared loudly, “We eight shall become brothers here. From today onward, whoever harms my brothers shall face battle with me; whoever kills my brothers shall be killed in return; whoever schemes against my brothers shall suffer the same fate.” Raising his voice further, he added, “Remember well: if any brother betrays the others and destroys our brotherly bond, he shall be punished severely without mercy; if any brother kills another, he shall be hunted down to the ends of the earth and killed without pardon!” Though Wukong was of slender build, his words carried immense authority, making it impossible to look him straight in the eye. In Journey to the West, the Seven Great Saints eventually fell apart, with half of them disappearing without a trace. Although he was unaware of the full details, this incident was closely related to the main character, Sun Wukong. Most likely, Wukong abandoned his brothers out of greed for the glory and wealth of heaven. Whether out of ignorance or under someone else’s influence, such a thing would never happen again in this life.