Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 789 - 788: Still Want to Bribe Me?
Although the voice was not very frightened, the sheer number of them was overwhelming, and he heard his own name being echoed from peak to peak.
Only the powerful used to be able to hear these sounds; now that he, a mere mortal, could hear them, it was clear the monsters must be very close.
"Wukong, have those monsters already started chasing us?" Xuanzang asked anxiously.
While it wasn’t to the point of being immediately pursued, they were indeed very close. Six-Eared Macaque did not intend to hide the truth, and directly nodded in response to his question.
Only then did Xuanzang understand why Six-Eared Macaque had been complaining about Chen Nuo before.
Had it not been for Chen Nuo’s cough, those two monsters would not have discovered their tracks, the white horse would not have been released, and they wouldn’t be in this situation with monsters tracking them across the hills and fields.
Indeed, just as he feared a moment ago, not only was the white horse lost, but now they were also at risk of being captured by the monsters.
"Wukong, what should we do now? Those monsters will be here any minute," Xuanzang asked, worried.
"So you know to be afraid now?" Six-Eared Macaque was not worried the monsters would catch up but took the opportunity to tease Xuanzang.
Realizing that this was no time for jokes, he patted Six-Eared Macaque on the shoulder and said, "Wukong, let’s not dwell on this for now, we should focus on escaping. Otherwise, once the monsters catch up, we won’t have time for a proper chat."
Six-Eared Macaque was merely joking around, and although Xuanzang had just defended Chen Nuo, he knew the urgency of the situation. After Xuanzang had finished admonishing him, he hurried to escape as well.
However, it seemed that not only lesser monsters were coming to capture them, but also one formidable monster. First, the lesser monsters spotted them and, knowing they couldn’t defeat the Six-Eared Macaque, they called for the formidable one.
This formidable monster, hearing about the presence of the three, came over and, after comparing their appearances with a portrait, was certain they were the same individuals—the Three Travelers of the Tang Monk depicted in the image.
"To think I’d find what I searched for without even trying; we were planning to capture you, and yet you’ve come right into my domain," the formidable monster laughed heartily and addressed the three.
"Monster, what do you intend to do?" Seeing the lesser monsters closing in, Six-Eared Macaque would have faced them weapon in hand if he were alone, but with Xuanzang on his back, he simply could not start fighting.
"Naturally, we’ve come for Tang Monk’s flesh. If you know what’s good for you, hand him over to me, and I’ll grant you a swift death," the monster said.
"In your dreams! If you want to eat my master, you’ll have to get past me first!" Six-Eared Macaque shouted at the monster.
He had never seen this monster before and had no idea how formidable it might be, but a fight seemed unavoidable. So Six-Eared Macaque put down his master and said to Chen Nuo, "Mr. Chen, please take care of my master for a bit, I need to fight this monster."
"Don’t worry, I’ll definitely take good care of the elder," Chen Nuo said.
Although Chen Nuo was also a mortal, he had just obtained the inner core of the Kui Star two days ago, so strictly speaking, he was no longer an ordinary person. Even if unsure whether this man could properly protect his master, the monster was already waiting, and there was no choice but to face it.
Six-Eared Macaque placed Xuanzang next to Chen Nuo and then walked towards the monster.
"I’ll fight you first," declared the Six-Eared Macaque, eyeing the demon up and down, "Besides, you don’t look like you can beat me. How about I let you make three moves first?"
The demon found the words of the Six-Eared Macaque amusing, glanced around, then said to his subordinates, "Guys, this monkey claims I can’t beat him. Do you think I can?"
Without debating their actual strength, considering that the group of lesser demons were in fact under the big demon’s command, they would surely say that the Six-Eared Macaque stood no chance against him.
At the very least, in terms of morale, the big demon was the victor.
After hearing his subordinates’ opinions, the demon tilted his chin up proudly toward the Six-Eared Macaque, "How about that, my subordinates say I’ve definitely got this in the bag."
The Six-Eared Macaque gave him a derisive look, "Such matters can only be settled by a true fight. You haven’t even fought yet, just asking your subordinates? What does that count for? If you’re going to say such things, why not run to my Huaguo Mountain and ask my subordinates who would win?"
Chen Nuo frowned upon hearing the Six-Eared Macaque mention Huaguo Mountain, which belonged to his disciple and had been occupied by the Six-Eared Macaque. Though it wasn’t directly related to him, he still felt uncomfortable hearing how the Six-Eared Macaque boasted about it.
Still, discomfort notwithstanding, he understood certain principles; right now, even if he was annoyed, he couldn’t settle the score with the Six-Eared Macaque.
The demon laughed upon hearing the Six-Eared Macaque’s challenge, then spoke, "Fine, you want to fight me? Let’s just see who can’t beat whom right now."
The Six-Eared Macaque, hearing this provocation, advanced with his weapon ready, only to find something suddenly thrown into his hands.
Seeing the object in his hands, the Six-Eared Macaque was puzzled, "Aren’t we supposed to be fighting? Why are you giving me this thing—is it some sort of bribe?"
Instead of replying, the demon bowed his head and started chanting an incantation.
The Six-Eared Macaque suddenly felt the object in his hand became incredibly heavy, and it kept getting heavier. He tried to throw it away, but it seemed as if it were stuck to his hand, immovable no matter how he shook it.
What in the world was this thing that it couldn’t be shaken off?
"Demon, didn’t we agree to fight? Why are you palming off such a thing on me? A fight should be a real exchange of blows, not these illusions—this is cheating!" exclaimed the Six-Eared Macaque to the demon.
"We did agree to fight, but who said how we were to fight?" the demon said with a smile, "This object is my spell, it’s the same as if I struck you. If you’re less skilled, why accuse me of cheating?"
"I advise you to dispel this spell quickly, or once I break free I’ll make sure you regret it!" Before he could continue, the Six-Eared Macaque had already been trapped under a huge mountain by the object, pinned beneath it and seething with rage, while the demon appeared to be quite at ease.
Xuanzang was also frantic, having not imagined the demon would be so formidable; his disciple had no chance to take action before the demon had already crushed him under the mountain.
"Mr. Chen, what do we do? If we can’t beat him, will the demon take us away?" Xuanzang said with fear.
"Don’t be afraid; although Sun Wukong indeed cannot beat this demon, believe that even if we are captured, Bodhisattva Guanyin and the others will come to rescue us," reassured Chen Nuo to Xuanzang.
