"Nathan Young is here?" Monkey's expression stiffened slightly.
He hurried to the summit hut and found Shortbeak outside, fully armed with his own troops, lying in ambush in the grass. More demons were converging from all directions, readying for a major battle.
Yisu stood anxiously outside the door, her face tense, but visibly calmed upon seeing Monkey arrive.
After all, Nathan Young was one of the Heavenly Court's premier war gods. No matter what Anna Yang told them, she could never truly ease their wariness toward him.
Humans and demons ultimately walk different paths—even Anna Yang only earned her supreme status on Blossom Mountain through years of relentless effort.
In truth, it wasn't just them; Monkey himself hadn't let down his guard.
Though he'd often heard Nathan Young was helping Anna Yang, if it really came down to a clash with General Lee, Monkey had no confidence in whose side Nathan would choose.
Casting a helpless glance at the tense pair, Monkey strode to the door and pushed it open.
Inside the hut, Anna Yang still sat on her bed, while Nathan Young stood beside her, childlike, both bent over studying something and occasionally laughing together.
No matter how one looked at it, the scene was utterly devoid of danger, and Monkey's heart settled considerably.
Nathan Young looked up and saw Monkey standing outside the door. His childlike smile vanished in an instant, replaced by an icy expression.
Monkey coughed twice, hefted his Cloudwalker Staff, and stepped into the room.
"You're here?" Anna Yang smiled, looking up as she introduced, "This is Simon Sun, Master Sage Subhuti's tenth direct disciple, and now the lord of Blossom Mountain. And this is Nathan Young... Well, Nathan hardly needs any introduction, does he?"
"Famous enough—I know you without any introduction." Monkey replied coolly.
Nathan Young fixed his gaze on Monkey and offered a brief salute. "I am Prince Nathan, the Third Prince. A pleasure to meet you."
In his expression now, there was a hint of provocation—far from the playful child Anna Yang usually described. He was every inch a proud war general.
"I am Simon Sun. Pleased to meet you." Monkey smiled and returned the gesture.
He could faintly sense Nathan Young gathering his spiritual power.
Clearly, this visitor meant trouble.
Setting the little trinket on the blanket covering her legs, Anna Yang said, "Nathan wanted to meet you, so I had Heizi call you over."
"Oh? Is that so?" Monkey walked step by step to the table, but didn't sit down. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on Nathan Young, smiling politely. "May I ask, Prince Nathan, what brings you to me?"
Nathan Young grinned, folding his hands as he sized up Monkey. "The old man said you slaughtered ten thousand South Heaven Gate soldiers and captured King Broadgaze. Is that true?"
"That's right." Monkey's grip on the Cloudwalker Staff unconsciously tightened.
"You admit it so readily. That's why the old man went to all the trouble to summon me from afar, and had me sneak into Blossom Mountain to probe its defenses tonight."
"So General Lee doesn't plan to trade peaches for the hostage?"
Nathan Young swallowed, pursed his lips, glanced at Anna Yang, then turned back to Monkey with a playful look. "Not exactly. The old man never puts all his eggs in one basket. He's already gone up to the Heavenly Court to handle it himself. But the numbers are high, and the Peach Banquet is still far off. Plus, a day in Heaven is a year on Earth—so it might be a year or two before he returns. Thanks to you, the demons of Eastrealm have a rare breathing space."
"Is that so? Then tonight, as you scout Blossom Mountain, how do you plan to do it?"
"Before I came, I just planned to have tea and leave, then make up a story for my report. But after hearing how you abused King Broadgaze, I thought maybe just drinking tea and leaving would be too irresponsible."
Anna Yang sensed something was wrong—her smile slowly faded.
Before she could react, in a flash, Nathan Young’s brow furrowed, and with a flick of his hand, the World Ring—already in his grasp—shot out like thunder toward Monkey.
Monkey, already prepared, dodged to the side. The World Ring grazed his cheek, instantly pulverizing the window behind him and shooting out into the open air.
The demons lying in ambush outside stirred in alarm.
"They're fighting for real!" Shortbeak drew his curved blade and shouted, "Brothers, get ready!"
Before he finished speaking, two figures shot out one after another from the shattered window, soaring more than ten zhang into the sky.
The World Ring circled once in the air before landing steadily back in Nathan Young's hand.
A gale swept through.
By now, Nathan Young was already standing atop his Wind-Fire Wheels, gripping the Flame Spear, draped in the Celestial Sash. Blazing flames erupted around him out of nowhere. From afar, he looked like a brilliant star suspended above the mountain peak.
On the other side, Monkey gripped his Cloudwalker Staff, his fur bristling and crackling with spiritual energy like lightning. Baring his fangs, he slowly took up a battle stance, growling like a wild beast.
"You two, stop this right now!" Anna Yang stumbled out the door, shouting.
Without turning his head, Nathan Young said, "Sister Anna, let me test him. You can't be a leader without real strength. Besides, if I said nothing about his abuse of South Heaven Gate prisoners, I'd be letting it slide."
Monkey glanced down at Anna Yang.
Still recovering, Anna Yang was so tense her face had turned pale, cold sweat beading on her forehead. Her body wavered, nearly collapsing—luckily, Yisu rushed over to support her, and Shortbeak quickly spread his wings to shield her, finally easing Monkey's worry.
Taking a deep breath, Monkey looked at Nathan Young and said to Anna Yang, "It's fine. Let me spar with him."
With that, he pointed at Shortbeak and shouted, "No one is to interfere! Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!" The demons raised their weapons and shouted in unison.
Nathan Young couldn't help but pause in surprise. "So, Blossom Mountain really isn't just any demon force. At the very least, it's no unruly mob."
"You're too kind."
Two surging streams of spiritual power gathered in the sky—visible red and dark gold currents dividing the heavens, even the clouds overhead shifting colors as the battle drew near.
(This chapter is not yet finished~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting story!)
Anna Yang clutched her chest, blinking weakly as she watched, sighing.