Chapter Fifteen: Return to Claim the Throne!

Chapter Fifteen: Return to Become King! (Daily Explosive 10,000 – Please Support)

The Colorful Monkey was also gravely injured, unable to sustain himself any longer. His head drooped, and he fainted unconscious.

Zhou Yu collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Demon King! Finally, I’ve slain a Demon King!

A faint trace of black energy condensed within his body, flowing rapidly into Zhou Yu, replenishing his depleted strength. His wounds began to heal swiftly.

Previously, Zhou Yu’s limit was to summon just one clone. But after devouring the great crab’s flesh, and being forced to use the cloning technique again today, he discovered he could create ten clones!

That day on the great lake, Jin Buhuan had also summoned ten clones to block and divert the absolute cold generated by the Holy Qilin’s self-detonation. Of course, Zhou Yu’s ten clones were not as powerful as Jin Buhuan’s, but the fact that Zhou Yu, still only at the rank of demon general, could produce ten clones speaks volumes about the immense energy within him.

Hua Queyue once said that once Zhou Yu reached the demon general rank, he could defeat a Demon King, but it seemed somewhat exaggerated. He hadn’t expected Zhou Yu to truly reach that level. Perhaps those words were meant to encourage Zhou Yu, for as one ascends, the gaps between levels become insurmountable chasms. To kill a Demon King by skipping levels requires not only great power but also practical combat skills, experience, opportunity, and luck.

The Demon King mentioned here was certainly not one of the top five Demon Kings, but merely the weakest among them.

The strength of the Bull King was relatively low among the entire demon clan, but he wielded the formidable weapon Bullfork, which elevated his overall power to that of a mid-tier Demon King. However, his overconfidence and ignorance of Zhou Yu’s cloning technique prevented him from fully utilizing Bullfork’s might, leading to his defeat by the combined efforts of Zhou Yu and the Colorful Monkey.

Though brief, this battle was truly thrilling. The two remaining bull-headed soldiers were now terrified; they never expected their lord to be slain.

A gust of wind swept by, causing the two bull-headed soldiers to shiver uncontrollably.

“Great King is dead?”

“The Great King is dead!”

They exchanged glances, then suddenly both shouted and bolted, fleeing swiftly towards the Bull Clan’s homeland.

Zhou Yu had intended to chase and eliminate them to prevent reinforcements, but exhaustion overcame him, and he was utterly drained.

Feeling energy coursing through his meridians, Zhou Yu rolled onto his back, limbs spread wide, gritting his teeth as he straightened his broken leg.

The sunset bled crimson clouds across the western sky.

Watching the dissipating clouds, a surge of passion welled up within him, urging him to sing out loud. But as he opened his mouth, a bitter sweetness filled his throat, and he spat a mouthful of blood—a mixture of accumulated blood from his broken bones and internal injuries, expelled by the energy within.

After expelling the blood, Zhou Yu felt much lighter. Moving his arms, he sensed some strength returning and struggled to sit up.

In the distance, the Colorful Monkey lay unconscious in a deep pit. The golden staff he constantly held had shrunk back to its original size, glowing with golden light that continuously infused energy into the Monkey’s body.

Watching this, Zhou Yu thought: The staff grew longer and thicker just now, now it gleams with gold—could this really be the legendary weapon the Monkey once wielded in his rampage? Is the Colorful Monkey truly the reincarnation of the Monkey King?

It is said that the four great demon saints of the animal realm have all perished, the foremost among them being the Monkey King Sun Wukong.

After accompanying Tang Sanzang to the West to obtain Buddhist enlightenment, Sun Wukong’s nature did not change much.

As the Western Divine Realm rapidly rose, the Buddhas who transcended the Three Realms and Six Paths, along with the entire Eastern Immortal Realm, mysteriously vanished from the universe. Rumor has it that as supreme lifeforms, they have retreated beyond the solar system.

Before departing, they intended to take Sun Wukong with them.

But Sun Wukong said: “I have just gained my freedom. I must guard the animal realm.”

The Buddhist and Eastern Immortal Realms will not return for an unknown number of years.

The Western Divine Clan seeks to unify the Six Paths, just as they once dealt with the Asura King Hades, orchestrating the annihilation of the four great demon saints.

Of course, these are side stories—secrets known to only a precious few today. Even someone like Seiya, revered as the new war god of the divine realm, is unaware.

——

Night had fallen, the cool breeze blowing gently as a solitary moon rose in the sky.

After regaining some movement, Zhou Yu struggled to his feet, staggering as he approached the Colorful Monkey, hoisting him onto his back, still clutching the golden staff tightly.

Examining the staff closely, Zhou Yu found no inscription of the “Ruyi Jingu Bang” as he had imagined; only a single character “Seal” was engraved.

After pondering, he realized this staff was no ordinary object. The great crab’s lingering presence suggested that this staff was the very thing suppressing and sealing it here.

If this golden rod was truly the legendary Ruyi Jingu Bang, the “Sea-Calming Needle” once wielded by the Monkey King, it made sense that it was used to subdue the great crab.

Zhou Yu’s wild guess was almost exactly right, but none of that mattered now. What was crucial was finding a place to lay low.

Carrying the Colorful Monkey, Zhou Yu wandered in the deepening night, uncertain which way to go.

Like life itself, burdened with responsibility yet shrouded in darkness, uncertain where the path to light lay.

A sudden wave of helplessness washed over him.

Strength was the key. If he were strong enough, no one could stop him, and no place would be unreachable.

With a sigh full of emotion, Zhou Yu recalled from memory that humans dwelled south of the Way of Life and Death, while demons lived to the north. According to the Colorful Monkey, this place was the northern edge of demon territory.

After much thought, he decided to continue north, where it would be somewhat safer. The farther north, the more desolate the land, and the less likely powerful beasts would appear.

Determining north by the rising moon, Zhou Yu headed steadily in that direction.

But was the north truly safe? For ordinary beasts, it was a place they avoided—barren, even lacking soil, blanketed daily by ice and snow.

Beyond lay the extreme northern glaciers.

Deep within these glaciers was a canyon, where an ice wall concealed a cave carved long ago.

From this cave, white, frigid energy constantly seeped outward.

The cave walls were impossibly smooth, as if carved by a mighty figure wielding sword or blade.

Outside was a world of endless snow and ice, pure white as far as the eye could see.

Inside, if the light was sufficient, it was also a realm of white.

A solitary figure sat within the cave—a youth clad in white robes with silver hair, a sword resting beside him.

Without seeing his face, one would assume him a venerable swordsman of great age and experience.

Yet his face was unusually handsome and youthful—a mere boy.

He opened his eyes, and the cave instantly brimmed with sword intent. His eyes shone like twin beams of light, directing the sword’s edge wherever he looked.

He raised his left hand, and the sword beside him leapt from its sheath, transforming into a streak of white light that reappeared in his left hand in an instant. A gentle wave of his hand sent a mighty white sword beam slashing into the ice wall across the canyon.

A broad scar, about three feet wide and thirty feet long, appeared on the ice wall. Yet, inexplicably, the wall was incredibly solid, and even such a powerful strike only left a faint, broad scar.

He fought with his left hand because his right arm was severed. This was Liu Yueming.

Liu Yueming sighed and closed his eyes again. The sword on his left hand suddenly shot back into its sheath.

A small snow-white beast suddenly emerged from the youth’s body, looking around before hopping to the ground.

The snow-white creature sat before Liu Yueming and, opening its mouth, spoke in human voice: “Even with my help, your strength is still too weak.”

The youth was moved, opening his eyes to look at the small beast. “Why is that ice wall so hard?”

The small beast replied with an old-soul’s gravitas: “That ice wall has existed since the world’s birth. You will only be ready to leave when you can carve a piece off it with a single stroke.”

Liu Yueming gazed deeply southward before closing his eyes.

Moonlight poured into the cave as the youth resumed his arduous training.

Outside, the moonlight bathed the glaciers, and the cold wind howled relentlessly.

Moonlight shone on Zhou Yu as he gasped, taking step after step to the north.

Suddenly, a sharp cry of pain came from his back—the Colorful Monkey had awakened.

Hearing this, Zhou Yu dropped Bullfork and set the Monkey down.

“You finally woke up! You nearly exhausted me!” Zhou Yu complained, sitting down.

The Colorful Monkey rubbed his chest, injured by the Bull King, and asked, “Where are you taking me?”

Zhou Yu glared at him. “You expect us to stay here and wait for the bull-headed soldiers to bring reinforcements and capture us?”

The Monkey’s face changed dramatically. “How far have we traveled?”

Zhou Yu thought for a moment, ashamed. “Not far. You were unconscious, and I was injured—we moved slowly.”

The Monkey sighed in relief, then said, “Then we must hurry back!”

Zhou Yu frowned. “Why?”

The Monkey struggled to stand. “You don’t understand demon survival laws: strength rules here. We’ve slain the Bull King; now we should return to the Bull Clan and take command of his followers!”

“Will his followers obey us?”

“I told you—strength rules. Since we defeated the Bull King, his men and kin will fear us. Demon Kings usually ascend by trampling over others’ corpses. This is normal in the demon realm.”

Zhou Yu still hesitated. “But you’re a wanted criminal.”

The Monkey brandished the golden staff. “So what? If we appear at the Bull Clan, those bulls and calves will surely be terrified, and we alone will be sovereign!”

Zhou Yu considered this. If true, it would be excellent. The farther north, the farther from humans. Returning might allow them to muster a demon army—gradually growing stronger, then striking east and west—better enabling Zhou Yu to return to the human world.

So Zhou Yu asked, “Then we return?”

“Return!” the Monkey said decisively.

“Return to claim the Demon King’s throne?”

“Return to become King!” the Monkey shouted.

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