In the days that followed, the selection of heavenly generals continued to unfold with great fervor.
Yet this grand event on Kunlun Mountain had nothing to do with the Monkey King; he couldn't even get close to watch.
The mournful cries of the demon beasts were still piercingly shrill, making the Monkey King deeply uncomfortable.
Originally, the Monkey King had resolved not to make himself an enemy of the Heavenly Court; even with Anna Yang, he wished to keep his distance. Ideally, he would rescue Que’er, retrieve the Golden Staff, and leave without further entanglements. Yet now, he found himself directly classified as an opponent of the Heavenly Court—a demon.
With things as they were, it seemed no matter what he did, he could never truly be on the same side as the Heavenly Court. Though he had declared himself a demon more than once—and in truth, after so many years of hardship, he felt no sense of belonging to either humans or immortals—was he truly willing to join the ranks of demons?
Such tangled feelings could neither be explained nor expressed.
Life went on monotonously. Each day, the Monkey King practiced his staff techniques, cultivated his powers, read and studied, and occasionally learned secret arts from Jade Cauldron. And so the days repeated.
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. The distant commotion persisted. On this day, the Monkey King walked along the mountain path, planning to bathe in the clear pool he had visited before—a chance to relax.
Suddenly, his posture stiffened slightly, and his pace slowed for a moment. But it was only a fleeting instant—soon, he resumed his normal speed.
When he had walked some distance away, a small tree behind him suddenly shook and transformed into a man—Louis Wang!