Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Atop Foutu Mountain peak, the white snow blanket spans vast, by a cliff's edge, there grew an immortal herb, standing tall amidst the icy winds, swaying with the breeze.

This immortal herb was but an inch tall, unassuming, yet atop this very herb dangled an amber-hued fruit, roughly the size of a dragon's eye, which emitted an odd fragrance that, upon a whiff, refreshed the spirit and heart.

What was most peculiar was that the scarlet fruit bore natural golden patterns, mysteriously forming three tiny "甲" characters.

Beside this tiny herb sat an old man, in repose, who appeared to be in his seventies or eighties with both hair and beard tinged blood-red, giving off a savage and fierce aura.

The old man sat quietly by the herb, his greedy gaze frequently sweeping over the small fruit above.

Footsteps echoed in the distance, and soon after, a demon in a white cape approached.

This demon, with the head of a rabbit and the body of a man, had ears both pointed and long; its snow-white fur actually conveyed a sense of beauty.

"Shuangxue, how is the situation outside?" asked the old man with the crimson hair and beard, without turning his head away from the fruit at his side.

"Great King, not only has the King of Flood Dragon led his followers here, but the Heavenly Master Hall from Great Tang has also arrived," replied the demon Shuangxue, hesitating slightly before adding, "Forgive my candor, but after living on Foutu Mountain for so many years, we've never seen a Tribulus Fruit. Suddenly, one nears maturity without any precedent; I fear something is amiss."

"Regardless of any intrigue, I am determined to have this Tribulus Fruit. Just a few more days till it matures, after consuming it, I will gain another Tribulus' worth of longevity. With that, my cultivation level will surely advance another step, shedding my mortal coil.

At this critical moment, no one shall stand in my way," declared the old man with a wave of his hand, a commanding tone in his voice.

"Alas…" Hearing the determined words of the aged man, the Demon Shuangxue beside him secretly sighed.

Longevity is indeed a subject that billions of beings can't avoid, not even us demons, let alone the immortals in the heavens, who are also subject to the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Once one's time comes, even immortals must fall.

The Great King's life is nearing its limit, and the tempting promise of added longevity from the Immortal Fruit is indeed undeniable.

"Shuangxue, since that Old Loach and the folks from the Heavenly Master Hall have arrived, lead the demons of Foutu Mountain into battle. Strike first to gain the upper hand. I refuse to believe that the Old Loach's demons and the men of the Heavenly Master Hall could join forces against us.

We hold the home advantage on Foutu Mountain, just hope that you can hold the fort long enough for the Tribulus Fruit to mature," the old man instructed after another moment of silence.

...

Meanwhile, down at the base of Foutu Mountain, the people from Heavenly Master Hall had arrived. Leading them was a sword-bearing elder, none other than Elder Sword, the same one who had vanquished the Three-Eyed Crow with a single sword strike during the assault at Jinshan Temple.

Individuals like Master Fanhai had all greeted Elder Sword.

As a representative of the Emperor of Tang, Elder Sword also expressed gratitude on behalf of the Emperor for the cooperation of the major sects.

Now at the foot of Foutu Mountain, there was not much left to prepare. According to intelligence, the demons led by the King of Flood Dragon had already assembled on the mountain as well.

"Amitabha, Elder Sword, I am puzzled by a matter and wish for you to clear my confusion. Although the Demon Kings friction over territories is occasional, they usually exercise restraint.

Why, then, have the Tiger King and the King of Flood Dragon escalated to a life-and-death feud this time?" Before ascending the mountain, Master Fanhai intoned a Buddhist chant and then addressed Elder Sword with this question, which also echoed the doubts in everyone's minds.

"Truthfully, I am unaware of the cause," replied Elder Sword, his face cloaked in bewilderment. He shook his head, admitting, indeed, the struggle between the King of Flood Dragon and the Tiger King was mysteriously a fight to the death.

"Well, whatever the truth may be, I suppose we will understand once we ascend the mountain and confront the Tiger King and the King of Flood Dragon," stated Master Fanhai, nodding after a moment of silence, taking Elder Sword's genuine bewilderment at face value.

Immediately, a group of people, led by those from Heavenly Master Hall, made their way straight up Foutu Mountain.

Jiang Liu was next in rank only to Master Fanhai in the Great Buddha Temple's team, so he was very close to the front, while Gaoyang in the team of Heavenly Master Hall, deliberately slowed his pace, staying at the very end...

Although everyone was watching, Jiang Liu and Gaoyang did not greet each other or speak, but, intuitively, within the scope of what was possible, they moved closer to each other.

"Gentlemen, this is the territory of Foutu Mountain. I advise you to back down...", however, just as the group was midway up the mountain, suddenly, a beautiful female voice rang out.

Following that voice, a tide of demon creatures of various forms surged forth on Foutu Mountain, blocking everyone's path.

Among these demons, there were prides of lions, fierce tigers, as well as goats and rabbits, a wide variety. Explore stories at empire

Some demon creatures were gigantic in size, some demon soldiers could walk upright, and some demon generals even wielded bizarre spells of wind, fire, thunder, and lightning, demonstrating their strength in the hope of deterring their opponents.

In front of this collection of oddly shaped demon creatures, three beast-headed humanoid Demon Marshals stood blocking everyone's path.

One lion, one goat, and one rabbit—the beast-headed trio of marshals, clearly all had reached the level of a Demon Marshal.

"So it's the three Great Demon Marshals under the Blood Tiger King, of renowned fame...", seeing these demon creatures blocking the way, many cultivators braced themselves, wielding their weapons, while Elder Sword stepped forward a few paces to initiate a greeting.

"Hahaha, how arrogant the demons of Foutu Mountain are," just then, suddenly, another round of hearty laughter echoed, and a group of demons emerged as well.

Leading them was a Demon Marshal with a human body but a shrimp head, laughing loudly, "As the saying goes, all the land under the sky belongs to the Emperor, Heavenly Master Hall represents the will of the Emperor of Great Tang, and yet you dare to forbid their ascent, it seems you do not hold the Emperor of Tang in regard?"

"Do not sow discord!" seeing this emerging group of demons, the three Demon Marshals of Foutu Mountain were both shocked and furious.

These demons all belonged to the King of Flood Dragon's forces; it was unexpected that they would appear here. Where then was the King of Flood Dragon? The three Great Marshals were feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Have you come to Foutu Mountain seeking death? It seems your King of Flood Dragon fears death so much that he's shrunk back like a loach, sending you to die in his stead," Demon Marshal Shuangxue sneered at these Water Clan demons.

"Do you want to know where our Great King is? Why don't you take a guess?" But these Water Clan creatures were not dull and clearly understood the implication behind Demon Marshal Shuangxue's mocking words.

...

Jiang Liu wasn't concerned about the verbal exchanges between these demon creatures and the people from Heavenly Master Hall, but the current situation did surprise him.

Human cultivators, Foutu Mountain's demons, and the Water Clan's demons now stood in a three-legged standoff.

Yet, there they were, trading barbs in the way one would banter, was it their nature to talk nonsense during battle? Or was someone intentionally trying to buy time?

Boom!

Suddenly, the earth shook, and the terrifying sound of an explosion erupted on Foutu Mountain, drawing everyone's attention.

As they looked upwards, Foutu Mountain Peak was a scene of a dragon and tiger in combat!

"The King of Flood Dragon and the Tiger King, they've started fighting!?", Master Fanhai and others, showed faces of shock.