In the afternoon, all five of the main demon fighters in the camp had vanished—except for the Monkey King, who was still running.
Shortbeak's mind was clearly stuck in a rut; he longed desperately for a safe haven. Compared to other teams, their journey to Dragon's Pool had been far more grueling.
Other teams weeded out the weak and kept the strong. But because their team had the mentally unstable White Ape, they didn’t follow that logic at all.
In the end, what took others half a month took them several months, during which they wiped out several squads of Heavenly Fleet patrols, drawing tight surveillance over the whole region.
They barely managed to survive, only to discover that it was all a trap.
Shortbeak’s feelings at this point were easy to imagine—he was on the verge of collapse.
Big Bull was also teetering on the edge, though he hid it far better than Shortbeak. As for the White Ape, he was already broken—anyone could see it from his constantly trembling hands.
The Monkey King even wondered if he could still draw a spell formation properly at this point.
Every team needs a backbone—someone stubborn, someone who insists on their own way and drags everyone along.
Now, Shortbeak was that backbone—even the desperate White Ape clung to him like a drowning man to a straw.
Though stubbornly clinging to his dream, the old White Ape had always been smarter than the other demons in the group, thanks to his experience. But even broad experience couldn’t shield him from reality now.
He wanted so badly to help these lesser demons that he lost himself in the process.
Watching three panicked demons drag Rhino and rush out of the camp, the Monkey King couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Now, they were all scrambling to gather evidence to convince the strongest member—the Monkey King—to stay with them.
No wonder gods and buddhas are heartless; anyone with a heart doesn’t last long.
The Monkey King mused.
The whole afternoon, the Monkey King lounged lazily on the grassy field inside the camp, basking in the sun.
Nearby, the lesser demons bustled about, trying to make the camp look better, while some prepared food.
Outside the camp, strange demons would sometimes peer in, only to bolt away the moment their eyes met those inside.
Word must have gotten around: the Monkey King was now the new leader here. Maybe they were hoping to pay their respects.
Of course, it was also possible that the other local leaders had sent scouts—after all, they were rivals.
Still, things were mostly calm and peaceful.
As for the Monkey King—the real protagonist—he never bothered to find out how much territory he’d inherited from Crocodile Jack, how many demons lived here, or how much profit there was to be had.
To him, all of this was just playing house under the Serpent Lord’s nose—utterly meaningless.
When things got truly hopeless, the Monkey King would simply choose to leave on his own.
At most, he’d take her along.
With that thought, the Monkey King’s gaze slowly drifted to the side.
Right then, Fiona Fox was happily playing with two lesser demons, fiddling with a freshly caught bug.
"How’s Belle been lately?" Seeing Fiona Fox, the Monkey King suddenly wondered.
......
Crescent Star Cave, Swallow Lane.
"Well, the Fourth Princess has been working hard lately. She’s made great progress! Very good!" Miles Moon, Elder Gale’s eldest disciple, praised Belle as he reviewed her written formulas and spell diagrams.
"It’s all thanks to Master’s teaching."
Though she said that, Belle couldn’t help but lift her chin in pride.
That afternoon, Belle had been alone in her room, copying out formulas and spell arrays as Master Sage Subhuti had instructed—until her senior brother, Miles Moon, arrived.
Miles Moon turned to Belle, squinting as he said, "Hmm. You’ll be able to break through to the Nascent Spirit Realm soon, won’t you? What method did Master use to get you there so quickly? It’s enviable."
"Master said I can’t tell."
"Heh, what’s there to hide? It’s not like I could regress to the Spirit Focusing Realm and break through again." Miles Moon lowered his head to continue reviewing Belle’s work. "Still, this is what matters most. Cultivation will come in time. If you master these lessons and keep your mind steady, you’ll achieve success sooner or later. But isn’t it a bit early? You’re only at the Spirit Focusing Realm and already learning this..."
Belle quietly sidled up to Miles Moon and whispered, "Senior Brother, um... how’s the Monkey King?"
"Huh? Monkey King?" Miles Moon was momentarily stunned.
Little Belle furrowed her brows and muttered, "I meant... Uncle Samson."
"Huh?"
"Uncle Sky Loft said the Monkey King was learning the Seventy-Two Transformations at Cloudrise Pavilion with him. How’s he doing now? How much has he learned?"
"Oh?" Miles Moon slapped his forehead as realization dawned. "I haven’t been to Cloudrise Pavilion in ages—I don’t know anything about that."
"Are you planning to go to Cloudrise Pavilion soon, Senior Brother?"
"Maybe, sometime soon."
"Could I ask you to deliver a letter for me? Help me get it to the Monkey King. He never writes back. Last time I asked Uncle Sky Loft to deliver it, he refused—said he’d only help once I reached the Nascent Spirit Realm, as a reward." Belle immediately pulled a wad of crumpled letters from her sleeve and handed them to Miles Moon.
There must have been ten or so letters in that stack…
Seeing Belle’s hopeful gaze, and the little hand clutching those letters, Miles Moon suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
"I… might not go for a long time. Maybe you should wait for someone else to go to Cloudrise Pavilion." With an awkward laugh, Miles Moon stood up to leave, but Belle grabbed the corner of his robe.
"Senior Brother—! Please deliver it for me, won’t you? Please?"
"You should wait for Uncle Sky Loft to deliver it. Didn’t he promise you? You’ll break through soon."
"No way! Uncle Sky Loft always finds ways to wriggle out of it. Senior Brother, please deliver it for me..."
Lowering his head, Miles Moon saw Belle’s furrowed brows and pouty, pitiful face. With a helpless sigh, he realized that if he didn’t agree, he probably wouldn’t get to leave today.
After much coaxing, Miles Moon finally reached out and took the letters.
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading!
Belle cheered instantly.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Outside, Miles Moon stood at the doorway, dazed, and let out a long sigh.
Hearing Belle’s cheerful humming from inside, Miles Moon looked up at the sky, then down at the letters in his hand, thinking, "Just one trip—Master won’t blame me, right?"
All afternoon, the Monkey King slept in the camp outside Drake City. It wasn’t until dusk that the first real visitor arrived.
It was a small squirrel demon, about three feet tall, with two white whiskers and a face that didn’t look particularly old. He wore a blue-gray patched robe.
Though down on his luck, he still seemed much better off than the other little demons in the camp.
At first sight of the Monkey King, he respectfully cupped his hands. "Greetings, new leader."
Polite and well-mannered, if you swapped his face, he wouldn’t look like a demon at all.
Sensing his cultivation, the Monkey King deduced he was at the early stage of the Nascent Spirit Realm.
"And you are?"
"I am Louis Squirrel. May I ask the new leader’s esteemed name?"
Oh? He even has a proper name. The Monkey King was genuinely surprised.
The Monkey King slowly propped himself up and sat cross-legged. "Everyone just calls me Monkey King."
"Monkey King…" Louis Squirrel nodded thoughtfully. "‘Monkey King’ isn’t a very dignified name. For your grand ambitions, you should adopt a more fitting title."
To the Monkey King, this squirrel demon seemed more and more like a pretentious scholar.
"I like the name Monkey King just fine. Let’s stick with that. Enough nonsense—what do you want?"
Louis Squirrel gave a dry laugh and bowed again. "If the leader says so, then so be it. I’ve come to pay my respects because last night, while observing the stars, I saw the Violet Star move westward…"
"Alright, alright, enough with the rambling." The Monkey King interrupted, laughing. Encountering such a pedantic demon was almost comical. "Just tell me—what’s your point?"
The pedantic Louis Squirrel was immediately embarrassed. He stepped back and knelt on the ground. "I wish to follow you, Great King, to offer counsel and serve your grand ambitions with all my heart, until my dying breath!"