This was a tense standoff—at least, for the Nine-Headed Wyrm.
Right now, all he wished for was to get out of this unscathed.
He had witnessed Monkey’s strength firsthand. In terms of raw power, he had no confidence in a direct confrontation. With the demon army outside, and with no external aid, he knew he wouldn’t even be able to run.
Even if he managed to escape Demon City, there were still 180,000 Celestial troops outside—and among them, Nathan Young. With such chaos in the city, there was no reason for them to stay out of it.
Nathan Young would have no qualms about attacking a notorious fugitive demon. While he couldn’t truly defeat the Nine-Headed Wyrm, he would certainly be able to stall him. If Monkey caught up, the two would attack from both sides, making escape impossible.
As for revealing his true form—the monstrous feathered wyrm—while it would increase his power, it would slow him down at a critical moment. In this situation, that would be suicide.
Thinking it over, he realized there was truly no way out.
After a long silence, the dejected Nine-Headed Wyrm spoke cautiously, "You don’t really mean to fight me to the death, do you? Demon City is impressive—it’d be a shame to destroy it. Besides, no one gains from that, and there’s no need for such extremes. Why not let me leave? We can always meet again another day."
"If possible, there’s no need," Monkey replied with a faint smile, but he didn’t elaborate—he simply stared at him, unmoving.
That look made the Nine-Headed Wyrm increasingly uneasy.
What was he planning? Was he really going to keep this standoff going indefinitely?
He truly couldn’t figure it out.
Of course, puzzlement aside, he was certain Monkey had a purpose. From the start, Monkey hadn’t felt like any ordinary demon—or even a Traveler’s Path fighter—but more like a deeply calculating Sage’s Path master.
Yet his fighting style was clearly that of the Traveler’s Path…
What was going on here?
Lost in speculation, he even grew curious about Monkey’s master. Judging by Monkey’s methods, his crisp staff technique, and his apparent age, he was sure Monkey hadn’t learned on his own or picked things up halfway—he must’ve apprenticed under someone.
What kind of master would teach—and for what purpose—such a formidable demon?
Isabel Su continued serenely brewing tea, refilling their cups as soon as they emptied, swapping out the leaves when they grew pale—pot after pot, without pause.
Outside, the encirclement remained as tight as ever.
Time ticked by, as the silent standoff dragged on.
It wasn’t until the stars filled the sky and the bright moon hung overhead that a young demon slipped in and whispered in Monkey’s ear.
"Oh? Nathan Young seeks an audience?"
The young demon paused, surprised that Monkey would reveal this directly in front of the Nine-Headed Wyrm. He glanced at the Wyrm, then nodded.
"Bring him into the city."
"Into the city? Here?"
Seeing Monkey say no more, the young demon quietly bowed and left.
Soon, through the open balcony door, the Nine-Headed Wyrm saw Nathan Young riding his Wind-Fire Wheels, flying in from the city gates.
"That’s enough." Monkey calmly finished his tea, drinking the last drops, and said, "You may go now—use the back door."
"Huh?"
Before the Nine-Headed Wyrm could react, Monkey had already risen, stretched lazily, and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t see you off."
With that, he turned and walked out the door.
Anna Yang gave the Nine-Headed Wyrm a cool glance, then turned and left as well.
Only Isabel Su and the Nine-Headed Wyrm remained in the room.
Staring blankly at the door Anna Yang closed behind her, the Nine-Headed Wyrm furrowed his brow into a deep V.
Outside the tower, the army loosened their bowstrings—they were already beginning to withdraw.
After a moment, the Nine-Headed Wyrm glanced at Isabel Su and asked, "So, what does he mean by this? If he was willing to let me go, why wait until now?"
Isabel Su didn’t answer—she only smiled.
"Hey, little sister. You’re a fox demon, right? That woman just now—she didn’t seem like a demon. Judging by her looks, she must be at least Spirit-Refinement level, and she’s probably on the Sage’s Path. Who is she? And that pretty girl on the city wall—she’s human too, right?"
Isabel Su remained silent.
"There are humans in Demon City? Why would they stay here? Are there more humans besides those two? Doesn’t your king eat people?"
After a barrage of questions from the Nine-Headed Wyrm, Isabel Su finally spoke: "Weren’t you eager to leave just now? Why, now that you’re free to go, do you hesitate?"
"I’ve asked so many questions. Can’t you answer at least one?"
"Do you think I can?"
The Nine-Headed Wyrm was taken aback by her retort.
He thought it over. He was an outsider—just moments ago, everyone was wary of him, and now he was bombarding them with questions. Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t answer so freely.
The Nine-Headed Wyrm was the type to forget pain once the wound healed—he’d been desperate to escape when surrounded, but now that the door was open, he wanted to linger a while longer.
"Let me ask you something else: Is your king always like this?"
Isabel Su’s face darkened. Coldly, she replied, "What do you mean, ‘like this’?"
"Uh, fine, call it a slip of the tongue. I meant, is he always this calculating?"
"Not at all. Monkey-brother is very easygoing."
"Monkey-brother? Aren’t you supposed to call him ‘King’?"
"Monkey-brother never insisted, so some of us still use the old way. Others just call him ‘Monkey.’"
"The old way?" The Nine-Headed Wyrm caught on immediately. "What was it before? Is there a difference now?"
Isabel Su clammed up, watching the Nine-Headed Wyrm warily, afraid she’d say something wrong.
Seeing this, the Nine-Headed Wyrm coughed awkwardly and changed the subject: "I heard your king takes in any demon who comes to him. Is it really unconditional? Or is that only true for lesser demons, and different for the powerful ones?"
"You’ll have to ask Monkey-brother about that. How would I know?" Isabel Su snorted coldly, enunciating each word: "You should go."
Is this a guest-expelling order?
But faced with a pretty girl’s eviction order, the Nine-Headed Wyrm didn’t take offense—instead, he put on a goofy grin.
Isabel Su didn’t answer.
I said you should go—don’t you understand plain speech?
Don’t rush me—I haven’t finished my tea yet, it’d be a shame to waste it. Talk to me a bit more.
...
While the Nine-Headed Wyrm was still lingering in the reception hall, Monkey had already met with Nathan Young at another location in Demon City.
Separated by the bars of the cell, Nathan Young stared blankly at General Lee on the other side, whose shoulder blades had been pierced. Nathan’s eyes grew slightly moist.
Fortunately, apart from sealing his cultivation by piercing his shoulder blades, Monkey was treating General Lee quite well. Considering his injuries, Monkey had even assigned a military doctor to attend him.
At this moment, General Lee’s eyes were blindfolded—he couldn’t see Nathan.
Nathan stood there for a long time, suppressing the urge to act, and finally walked out of the cell side by side with Monkey.
What will it take for you to release him?
Didn’t we agree you’d withdraw your troops, then we’d negotiate? I’ve watched you all day—the warships haven’t moved an inch.
I’m the highest ranking officer in the expeditionary force, but the vice-commander isn’t me—it’s King Virūḍhaka. He won’t agree to withdraw unless you release my father first.
So you mean we’re going to keep confronting each other?
Actually, he’s right—we can’t withdraw. If we do, Heaven will notice immediately, and my father’s capture will be exposed. Right now, Heaven needs all the manpower it can get. If we conceal the truth, we probably won’t be dismissed, but we’ll definitely be suspended. Then Heaven will send someone else to take over South Heaven Gate—maybe the Twenty-Eight Constellations, maybe the Nine Luminaries. They might even call in the Milky Way Navy to help with the siege. That won’t do any good for you, Blossom Mountain, or my father. Besides... you have a record. If we stay here, everyone feels safer. If we leave, who knows what you’ll do to my father.
With that, Nathan Young gave Monkey a cold look.
Monkey’s face remained expressionless, as if he were deep in thought.
Nathan Young was now completely hostile toward Monkey—there was no doubt about it. He’d only come to Blossom Mountain for General Lee’s sake. Everything he said was reasonable, but it didn’t sound like negotiation at all—more like he was throwing the problem back at Blossom Mountain.
It didn’t seem like King Virūḍhaka put him up to saying this.
After leaving the cell, they saw Anna Yang waiting outside.
"Sister Anna," Nathan Young called out softly, smiling, but there was none of the old warmth in his voice.
The three of them stood in silence for a while. Nathan Young spoke to Monkey: “I don’t care if Blossom Mountain is destroyed—I just want my father safe and returned. I’ve said my piece; this bargaining chip isn’t all-powerful. I hope you’ll think carefully and find a solution we can both accept. If you want weapons, pills, or Gold Essence, I’ll agree right now. Even if the South Heaven Gate treasury isn’t enough, I’ll get it for you—even if it means pawning my Fire-Tipped Spear.”
Monkey chuckled: “The pills I really want, you couldn’t get even if you pawned your Fire-Tipped Spear. As for the common ones—I don’t need them. Besides, if General Lee goes back, Blossom Mountain’s safety won’t be guaranteed. What use are pills then? Even if I had enough weapons and pills, I wouldn’t have enough demons to arm.”
Nathan Young’s voice rose sharply: “So what do you want, then? This is all we can offer—there’s no point in asking for the moon!”
All the nearby demons turned to look.
Seeing Nathan Young’s anxious expression, Anna Yang, who hadn’t spoken, felt a twinge of sympathy.
But what could she say? Persuade Monkey to release General Lee? It wasn’t that Blossom Mountain was sure to lose to the 180,000 South Heaven Gate troops—the key was, if Monkey really did it, Blossom Mountain would pay a terrible price.
After a long hesitation, Monkey looked up at the bright moon drifting through the clouds and sighed: “In that case, my condition for releasing General Lee is that you keep confronting me here.”