Ye Zichen immediately looked up and into the sky. That shout was so familiar; it couldn’t possibly belong to anyone else. It was the Great Sage, Great Sage Equal of Heaven, Sun Wukong!
The Great Sage swung his staff through the enemy ranks, each swing enough to take down a whole platoon. He tore through space itself as he flew down to earth.
When he landed, the bald man’s pupils constricted, and a metal hoop appeared around his arm to block the staff. He flew several meters into the distance, then stared intently at where the Great Sage had landed.
It really was the Great Sage!
Ye Zichen’s eyes moistened, yet at the same time, lit up with unconcealed delight.
Back during the demonic invasion, the demons had pushed the Great Sage to the very brink of death. In the end, his master rescued him. They hadn’t heard from him since.
Now, a hundred years later, he appeared out of nowhere, Ruyi Jingu Bang in hand. He was just as imposing as back in the day.
“Hey, Brother. Long time no see.” The Great Sage grinned, then pointed at Wei Jie and the others. “I’ll trust these people to you. Leave those demon scum to me! I’ve been in recovery for a hundred years, and my bones have practically frozen in place!”
With that, he pointed his staff at the bandits. “Where are you going, monsters?”
Demons!
When he heard the Great Sage announce the bald man’s true identity, Ye Zichen froze despite himself.
This baldy was a demon?
He instinctively evaluated the man’s presence once more but saw no trace of demonic energy about him whatsoever.
Next, he tried to discern the man’s identity again, this time using the Fiery Eyes of Truth.
He still didn’t see anything out of place.
The Great Sage was still busy running after the bald man. Based on the strength of his staff attacks just now, he was at least a ninth-stage sky supreme. Taking care of that demon shouldn’t be much of a problem.
So Ye Zichen decided not to follow him, and just trust the baldy to Sun Wukong.
When the Great Sage got back, he could ask him about the baldy’s identity.
Ye Zichen took a few steps forward up to Wei Jie and the others. All of them were bound in ropes similar to Immortal Binding Ropes.
After untying them, the surviving villagers thanked him in earnest. However, he saw no joy at surviving a calamity reflected in their eyes. Instead, he saw them look expressionlessly at the corpses of their fellow villagers.
They wanted to cry, but they had no tears.
Ye Zichen looked at the melancholy villagers and sighed. The dead undoubtedly included their friends and family. Although it was theoretically possible to receive the dead, there was no way Ye Zichen could help them ask Emperor Hades to revive the fallen.
The dead villagers were gone for good. All Ye Zichen could do was that the remaining villagers recovered from the dark shadow of grief sooner rather than later.
Ye Zichen looked away, then turned to Wei Jie and the others. “Are you alright?”
“We’re fine. Fortunately, you arrived in time, Boss. Otherwise, we all might very well have died here.” Wei Jie grinned. The other Upheaval higher-ups were still in the throes of lingering terror.
The Divine Mountains were way too dangerous! They almost regretted ascending. Wouldn’t it have been better to stay in the Lower Lands?
“Last time I saw you, you were still sky immortals. How did you undergo tribulation and ascend to the Divine Mountains in just six months?” asked Ye Zichen.
“It’s a long story,” said Wei Jie before launching into an explanation.
A few months ago, Upheaval discovered a new secret territory. It contained near limitless lucky chances alongside endless danger. Out of concern for their subordinates’ safety, Wei Jie and the others decided to set an example and plunge into the fray themselves to clear the way ahead. Against all expectations, they not only didn’t run into trouble, they even obtained enormous good fortune. As a result, their strength skyrocketed.
They’d become peak immortal kings half a month ago, then underwent their tribulations to become supremes.
“You’re awfully lucky.” Ye Zichen nodded.
“Afterward, we stayed below for a while to get the gang’s affairs in order, then ascended. All of us wound up on the Northern Divine Mountain too.” Wei Jie smiled. “Since we’re here, we’ve naturally got to spread our reach up here as well! However, you didn’t respond to my messages, so we decided to settle in a village and live quietly as we waited for further instructions.”
The others nodded along. Wei Jie furrowed his brows, then continued, “But Boss, was that yao just now your friend? Why did he say that baldy was a demon? I don’t sense any trace of demonic energy about him.”
“It’s not just you; I didn’t sense anything either.” Ye Zichen narrowed his eyes. “But if the Great Sage says they’re demons, he must have a reason. Let’s just wait for him to get back. We can ask him then.”
Speak of the devil…
As soon as Ye Zichen mentioned his name, the Great Sage returned carrying the half-dead baldy. He slowly approached Ye Zichen and his subordinates.
He looked triumphant, and his every step was as powerful and majestic as a dragon or tiger.
He stopped in front of Ye Zichen, then casually tossed the bald man to the ground.
“Bro, how should we deal with this demon? It’s my first time up here, so I’m not sure what the rules are. You decide for me.”
In a hundred years, the Great Sage had grown more reserved too. This was evident from what he’d just said; a hundred years ago, he was far too impulsive to worry about local rules. He wasn’t any duller or less vicious than before, but he’d learned to control himself.
Even now, though, the Great Sage was still saying the bald man was a demon…
“Great Sage, you’re saying this guy’s a demon?” Ye Zichen arched his brows.
“Of course he is! You guys can’t tell though, can you? This scumbag’s hidden his presence awfully well. If not for my Fiery Eyes of Truth, I wouldn’t be able to tell at all.”
He viciously kicked the bald man, and his eyes flashed with golden light.
When the light landed on the man’s body, the once-human-looking man transformed into a demon in the blink of an eye. Purple smog drifted from his body, assailed their nostrils, and dispersed.
“They really are demons!” Wei Jie practically jumped out of his skin.
Ye Zichen furrowed his brows. When he saw the demon’s true form, he fell into silent contemplation.
Fortunately, the Great Sage showed up. Otherwise, Ye Zichen might really have mistaken these people for mere Horse Bandits.
“Great Sage, can you take a look at the dead? Are they demons too?”
The Great Sage turned to look at the imposter bandits, and after illuminating them with his Fiery Eyes of Truth, all of them reverted back to their original, demonic appearances.
“They’re all demons,” snorted the Great Sage.
Ye Zichen couldn’t help but sigh, then turn to the still-alive, albeit barely, bald demon on the ground. “You demons are becoming more and more capable. You’ve even come up with a way to disguise yourselves as humans!”
At that moment, a flying vessel entered the village from the distance. On board were none other than Xue Mo and her companions.
“Brother Ye, how are things…” As they drew closer, Ye Zichen heard Jiang Yong call out to him.
However, before finishing his sentence, Jiang Yong froze, then leaped overboard and shouted, “What are demons doing here?”
