Beneath the starry sky, the Nine-Headed Wyrm and Monkey King lit a bonfire.
It was just a small bonfire, yet in the dark night it was blindingly conspicuous. Across all of Frost-Rain Mountain, every demon and Skyward Legionnaire held their breath, silently watching that single point of light on the slope.
Marshal Silver knew: that cunning monkey demon was declaring his presence—not just to him, but to all the demons of Frost-Rain Mountain.
But even so, what could he do? Send out troops? Isn’t that exactly what the monkey wants?
Relentless harassment, constant provocation—forcing the entire Heavenly Fleet to chase after the two of them, round and round, yet gaining nothing. He just wanted everyone to witness the defeat written on the faces of the Heavenly Fleet.
He was flaunting his power, publicly mocking the Heavenly Fleet.
With the monkey’s arrival, the course of battle was already veering into unpredictable territory.
......
Beside the fire, the Nine-Headed Wyrm leisurely roasted venison, occasionally glancing toward the direction of the Heavenly Fleet.
"Tell me, how many Skyward Legionnaires and demons across from us are watching me roast meat right now? Why does it suddenly feel so good to be the center of attention?"
"Probably quite a few. They’re holding out well. With an audience like this, shouldn’t you put on a real show with your grilling skills?" Monkey King stood tall atop a boulder, arms folded, gazing out over the fleet and Frost-Rain Mountain.
He had been standing there for nearly an hour now, motionless as a statue, no one knowing what he was thinking.
"Exactly! I need them to see that I, the Nine-Headed Wyrm, am not just a fighter—I’m a master griller too! Hahaha!" The Nine-Headed Wyrm laughed heartily, his enthusiasm for grilling surging.
About an hour passed. Not until the Nine-Headed Wyrm finished roasting and eating the entire deer did Monkey King finally speak.
"All done?"
The Nine-Headed Wyrm quietly conjured a handkerchief and wiped the grease from his mouth. "All done. Honestly, we should’ve brought some spices. If you forget about the war and treat it like a picnic, it’s much more enjoyable, isn’t it?"
"Come on, give me a hand."
Monkey King leapt down from the boulder and began gathering firewood.
"What are you up to?"
"Just help me out."
After bustling about for a good while, the two of them finally gathered a huge pile of wood. Soon after, the Nine-Headed Wyrm was left to the side as Monkey King began fussing around the hillside.
"What are you doing now?"
"You’ll see soon enough."
In no time, Monkey King arranged several patterns on the hillside. With a flick of his wrist, all the firewood burst into flames.
Instantly, laughter erupted from the fleet across the way—only to be abruptly cut off, as if strangled mid-breath. Meanwhile, the laughter from Frost-Rain Mountain grew louder and wilder.
A few bold demons even jumped out to taunt.
"What exactly did you make?" the Nine-Headed Wyrm asked, staring at the burning firewood spread across the ground.
"Nothing much—just sent Marshal Silver’s mother a greeting." Monkey King brushed the wood chips off his hands.
"Pff... Swearing?"
......
The demon crowd began to jeer and cheer, while the Heavenly Fleet grew so quiet that only the howling wind between the warships could be heard.
The Skyward Legionnaires all bowed their heads, not daring to make a sound. The Heavenly Generals wore faces of iron, equally silent. Only Marshal Silver, standing on the deck, appeared perfectly calm.
"That monkey really does have extraordinary spirit." Marshal Silver gave a faint smile, then turned to leave. "When will the plague-water arrive?"
"It’ll be here within three days." General Nate hurried after him. "But isn’t this a bit much...? Once it’s used, not just demons—even other living beings won’t escape death."
"Just keep it contained as much as possible. As for any leaks, we’ll deal with the consequences later. Right now, we can’t afford to lose or let this drag on."
"Understood."
......
"Hey, after all that staring, is this really what you came up with? Isn’t it a little boring?" said the Nine-Headed Wyrm.
"Isn’t boredom the whole point? If you’ve got something less boring, go do it." Monkey King glanced at the Nine-Headed Wyrm, then turned toward the campfire the two had lit.
Glancing toward the fleet, the Nine-Headed Wyrm sighed and followed after.
"By the way, do you really think those guys will listen to us and go all-out against the Celestial River Fleet?"
"Maybe they will, maybe they won't. If they've got any sense left, they should agree." Monkey sat down on a stone by the campfire, summoned two peaches, skewered them on a branch, and held them over the flames. "That's precisely why I sent your father-in-law as envoy."
Nigel glanced at the roasting peaches, squatted in front of Monkey, and frowned. "I still think sending the old man as envoy is risky. I trust he won't betray Blossom Mountain, but... he's soft-hearted, and he has old ties with King Bullhorn. I just worry he'll end up caught between sides, and if things go wrong, it could hurt Blossom Mountain."
Monkey lifted his eyelids and glanced at Nigel. "You really don't trust your father-in-law that much?"
"You know the old man can be a bit stubborn. Just don't repeat that to him." After a moment, Nigel added, "And don't say it to Rina either."
"Are you afraid of your wife?"
"It's not fear—it's love! Got it?"
"Alright, do I look like someone who can't keep his mouth shut? This whole thing—it's come out of nowhere, and there's no clear plan. We'll just have to take it one step at a time."
...
Far off, still making his way along the mountainside of Demon Peak, the Azurewave Dragon King glanced at the blaze of vulgar fire-glyphs in the distance and chuckled.
"Your Monkey King is quite the character," King Bullhorn couldn't help but frown.
He'd never imagined doing something like this on a battlefield.
Stroking his long beard, the Azurewave Dragon King said, "The Handsome Monkey King may be eccentric, but his loyalty is genuine."
King Bullhorn paused, then sighed softly. "To earn such praise from the old Dragon King—no easy feat."
The Azurewave Dragon King just smiled, said nothing, and turned to continue down the mountain path.
King Bullhorn caught up and asked in a low voice, "Old Dragon King, there's something I'd like to ask."
"Please speak, Demon King. If I know the answer, I won't hold anything back," the Azurewave Dragon King replied, giving a brief respectful salute.
King Bullhorn shot the old Dragon King a sidelong glance. "If you were in my place, Dragon King, what would you choose? Would you run, or would you gamble everything as the Handsome Monkey King suggests? And if we do run, do you think the Handsome Monkey King would take the chance to..."
He grew nervous, watching the Azurewave Dragon King out of the corner of his eye.
But the Azurewave Dragon King's expression remained perfectly calm.