"If you burn Monkey King Mountain, the Monkey King will not let you off!"
"Squeak!"
"Squeak, squeak!"
The black-furred ape and the other monkeys chimed in, their words full of threats.
Xu Yi remained unmoved. "I only wish to see the Monkey King!"
Only by seeing the Monkey King could she see the Demon King. How could Xu Yi back down because of this?
Thus, the two sides were at a stalemate, neither daring to act rashly.
Just as Xu Yi was contemplating whether to feign burning the mountain to threaten the monkey troop, the black-furred ape's expression suddenly turned respectful. It leaned forward slightly, appearing to listen intently.
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang exchanged a glance, sharing a look of joy.
Indeed, in less than half the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the once ferocious, grim-faced black ape, suppressing its burning rage, walked before Xu Yi and the other two. It spoke with a gruff tone, "Let's go, the Monkey King wishes to see you."
"Thank you."
Xu Yi retracted the Earth Heart Azure Flame as a gesture of sincerity.
The black-furred ape snorted heavily and led Xu Yi and the other two up the mountain. The monkeys along the path all parted to the sides, making way.
"We didn't hurt that black-furred ape. When you return and see it, you'll naturally understand what happened."
Seeing the black-furred ape's solemn expression, as if it were still worried about its companion, Xu Yi took the initiative to reveal the truth.
The black-furred ape paused, glanced at Xu Yi without speaking, but its steps undoubtedly became lighter.
"Monkey King, I have brought those three people."
Outside the Monkey King's cave dwelling, the black ape prostrated itself on the ground and shouted loudly.
The stone cave door boomed open, revealing a dark passage.
Xu Yi stepped forward, about to take the lead, but was stopped by Ji Buwang.
"I will."
Ji Buwang did not give Xu Yi a chance to retort and rushed into the passage ahead of her.
Xu Yi was slightly taken aback, then a smile flashed in her eyes as she followed.
Bai Shan walked at the very end, looking dejected.
*Tsk, it's known that Ji Buwang and Xu Yi are fellow disciples and have a close relationship. Those who don't know would think there's something fishy between them.*
The passage appeared extremely narrow from the outside, but walking within, one realized its width.
In the quiet passage, only the faint footsteps of the three could be heard.
Xu Yi cautiously surveyed her surroundings, guarding against any changes, while also pondering the Monkey King's intentions.
According to Bai Shan, the Monkey King was the Demon King's foremost general and was deeply trusted by the Demon King. Its stance should be the same as the Demon King's.
However, judging from the Monkey King's previous refusal to show itself, the Demon King might have the same idea – to remain neutral and let the two factions fight amongst themselves.
If that were the case, the Demon King would actually lean towards not getting involved in the conflict between humans and demons, remaining neutral.
If that were true, Xu Yi's mission would be half completed.
As long as the demon race did not intervene, they would only need to deal with the demon race, greatly increasing their chances of victory.
Now, she only needed to verify her guess through the Monkey King.
After searching forward for another half an incense stick's time, a faint light flickered at the end of the path.
Xu Yi and the other two quickened their pace and indeed saw the exit of the passage.
The moment they emerged from the passage, they were stunned by the sight before them.
The Monkey King, exceeding a hundred zhang in size, sat on a stone platform, surrounded by countless remains of demonic beasts.
The densely packed, bone-white bones made one's heart tremble.
Xu Yi could even feel a chill crawling up her spine.
"Greetings, Monkey King."
Xu Yi and the other two collected their thoughts and bowed in unison.
Standing below, they could not even see the Monkey King's face clearly. While waiting for the Monkey King's response, they suddenly felt a sense of insignificance and inferiority.
Xu Yi's mind wandered, and a vast sea of stars suddenly appeared before her eyes.
The star sea was vast and boundless, and even a great demon like the Monkey King was but a drop in the ocean.
Xu Yi suddenly snapped back to reality, clearing her throat twice.
Ji Buwang and Bai Shan were startled awake by her voice, their eyes regaining clarity. Both simultaneously felt a sense of lingering fear.
"Human, what technique did you use just now to break this illusion?"
The Monkey King's voice suddenly echoed in the stone cave, making Xu Yi's ears buzz. She could only use her spiritual energy to protect her ears, her apprehension towards the Monkey King reaching its peak.
"It is but a minor skill, not worth mentioning."
Putting aside the fact that Xu Yi could not answer this question, even if she could, she did not want to reveal her secrets. She pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.
"A minor skill? Do you know that your minor skill managed to break the illusion that even a late-stage Tribulation Transcension cultivator beside you could not break? You call that a minor skill?"
The Monkey King was quite talkative and did not get angry at Xu Yi's perfunctory answer. Instead, its tone carried a hint of a smile.
Late-stage Tribulation Transcension?
Xu Yi gritted her teeth, suppressing her urge to turn and look at Lu Zaiye.
She knew that Lu Zaiye's cultivation was higher than hers, but she hadn't expected him to be a late-stage Tribulation Transcension cultivator.
Lu Zaiye had hidden it too successfully. His cultivation was only revealed now. What was his purpose?
This mystery had been lingering in Xu Yi's mind for a long time. She recalled Lu Zaiye saying in Zhuzhou that he would explain everything after they left.
However, after leaving Zhuzhou and arriving in Shenzhou, there had been no opportunity to ask in detail.
Now, she could only suppress her confusion and wait for the right moment to get answers.
Xu Yi could hide her expressions, but Bai Shan, whose mind was sometimes a bit slow, displayed his surprise clearly on his face.
He stared wide-eyed at Lu Zaiye, thinking, *Lu Zaiye is truly cunning, hiding so deeply. If you ask me, Lu Zaiye is more like that spy than I am.*
Bai Shan's peculiar expression also drew the Monkey King's gaze towards him.
"Ice Mountain Double-Faced Butterfly, not bad. Pure bloodline, you must be a descendant of Bai Yu's lineage."
"Yes, Monkey King."
Hearing the Monkey King's question, Bai Shan quickly bowed and replied, while smugly winking at Xu Yi.
They, the Ice Mountain Double-Faced Butterflies, were quite renowned among the demon race. His ancestor, Bai Yu, was also a famous great demon of the demon race and a capable subordinate of the previous Demon King.
"Is your purpose for coming here the same as these two humans?"
The Monkey King cut straight to the chase, asking Bai Shan about his intentions, which caught Bai Shan off guard.
However, after recalling being deceived and nearly dying under the Yang Shen Trench, Bai Shan no longer hesitated and nodded firmly.
"In that case, I cannot provide assistance. You may leave."
The Monkey King's tone became even deeper, as if implicitly expressing dissatisfaction with Bai Shan's answer.
"Monkey King, for their own selfish desires, several great demons led by the Eight-tailed White Fox are forcing all demons to get involved in this conflict for no reason. As the foremost general under the Demon King, and the foremost God of War of our demon race, are you truly going to stand by and do nothing?"
Bai Shan angrily raised his head, his face full of defiance.
On their journey, besides encountering the fleeing Pomegranate and Peony, they had also seen many other demonic beasts caught in the conflict.
These creatures, by not wanting to join the conflict, had instead brought disaster upon themselves and met their deaths in vain.
Bai Shan could not believe that the Monkey King and the Demon King behind him were completely unaware of this.
If the Demon King could not step forward to stop this now, how could the Demon King retain any authority?