WuKong: The Monkey King

Chapter 25 The Bull Demon King

Wukong laughed heartily, "In that case, I guess Brother Bull will have to follow behind."

The Bull Demon King cautiously asked, "So... does the bet from before still count?"

Wukong chuckled, "Of course not. We brothers will have another match when the opportunity arises, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King slapped his chest and said, "Of course! Next time, we should choose a place we both know well!"

Their cloud-riding skills were superior, and within just a couple of hours, they reached the territory of the Eastern Victorious Divine Continent. From afar, Wukong could see the outline of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, his homeland, and joyfully pointed it out, "Brother, see that sacred mountain? That is my homeland."

As they drew closer, the Bull Demon King pointed below and remarked, "Indeed, a splendid mountain, even the demons guarding it appear so formidable!"

Wukong took a closer look and angrily said, "Those aren't any mountain-guarding demons; those are intruders!"

The Bull Demon King laughed heartily, "Seems like a good fight is coming our way." With that, he plunged down like a swallow darting into the forest, with Wukong following closely behind, worried that the Bull Demon King might accidentally harm his own people.

Before the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit was a noisy tumult, where a man, three meters tall with a robust waist and broad back, clad in shiny black iron armor and a black golden helmet, wielding a long-handled great sword, bright and clear, was leading hundreds of lesser demons in a ruckus.

This place, with its steep terrain, was the best path up the mountain, fortified by the four great marshals with barriers that were supposedly impenetrable unless one had the ability to fly over them.

At first glance, Wukong recognized this figure from the original Journey to the West, his first opponent when descending the mountain, known as the "Chaos King." Back then, Wukong had no weapons and still managed to seize the sword and kill the enemy with his bare hands. Now, with his divine powers fully realized and the Ruyi Jingu Bang in hand, even ten Chaos Kings would not be a match for him.

The Bull Demon King, seeing the formidable appearance of the Chaos King, was thrilled. Confident in his strength, he always sought an evenly matched opponent for a satisfying fight. Hearing the Chaos King proclaim himself as the "Chaos King of the Northern Aolai Country" and questioning the tribute from the mountain, Wukong stepped forward with a smile, "You've lost your mind, coming here to demand tribute. Don't you know your Grandfather Sun only takes from others, never giving anything away?"

The Chaos King, seeing Wukong's slight and wiry frame, burst into laughter, "So it's just a macaque. It seems the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit is indeed unguarded."

Before Wukong could reply, the Bull Demon King, unable to restrain himself, grew in size with the wind, instantly towering over six meters, and looked down upon the Chaos King, "You want big, I'll give you big."

Seeing his transformative powers, Wukong couldn't help but get excited too. He took out the Ruyi Jingu Bang, which grew to the thickness of a meter in circumference with a shake. With a light push, the staff fell towards the Chaos King.

The Chaos King hastily dropped his steel knife to brace against the staff, but unable to withstand the weight of 13,500 jin (about 6750 kg), he was crushed into a bloody mess in moments, his horde of lesser demons scattering in all directions.

The Bull Demon King, seeing the Chaos King defeated by a single blow from Wukong, sighed, "All show and no substance, such a disappointment."

Wukong smiled outwardly but inwardly, he harbored doubts. He had clearly seen the look in the Chaos King's eyes; although fierce and domineering in appearance, there was an unmistakable trace of fear and resignation. When the Ruyi Jingu Bang pressed down on him, the expression he showed was almost one of relief.