On the hillside, the wind swept gently, pressing the wild grass flat.
Kui-Wolf gripped Tripitaka's throat with one hand and held his Nine-Ring Blade in the other, staring coldly at Barry Bear. He asked indifferently, "When will your companion arrive?"
Barry Bear swallowed hard and replied in a low voice, "He'll be here soon."
Kui-Wolf tightened his grip on Tripitaka's throat slightly.
"Don't!" Barry Bear cried out involuntarily.
Kui-Wolf raised an eyebrow and said languidly, "If you don't want that, tell him to hurry up. With a cultivation of Grand Supreme Golden Immortal, does it really take this long to cover such a short distance? Also, throw your weapon aside."
Barry Bear glanced at Tripitaka, saw the pain on his face and beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, and quickly nodded, tossing his black-tasseled spear aside.
By now, Tripitaka could no longer speak, only staring helplessly and fearfully at Barry Bear with wide eyes. His Buddha-Crested Crown had already fallen to the ground and rolled aside.
Barry Bear took a deep breath and said cautiously, "I advise you not to harm Master Tripitaka, or there will be great calamity."
Kui-Wolf narrowed his eyes, looking first at the captive Master Tripitaka, then at Barry Bear.
A vague sense of unease crept over him; his eyes slowly narrowed to slits.
The one he had just subdued was unmistakably a white dragon. From the dragon’s own mouth, he’d learned that the intruder who broke into the prince-consort’s manor at night cared deeply for the monk now in his grasp. Thus, he had tracked them all the way here and seized the monk.
But why did the pig demon and this Barry Bear care so much about a monk who possessed not the slightest trace of cultivation?
If these two were merely ordinary bodyguards, their strength was far too extraordinary. The pig demon’s cultivation was at the level of Grand Supreme Golden Immortal; judging from their earlier fight, he had clearly held back much of his power—at the very least, he was at the mid-stage of Grand Supreme Golden Immortal.
The bear demon before him—Barry Bear—was at least Grand Supreme Golden Immortal as well.
In the cultivation path of the Daoist traveler, crossing from Golden Immortal to Grand Supreme Loose Immortal is a major hurdle, and stepping from Grand Supreme Loose Immortal to Grand Supreme Golden Immortal is another. Even in Heaven, there are few generals with such cultivation. Yet this ordinary monk is accompanied by two bodyguards at this level—how could that be anything but excessive?
Looking back, even though the dragon’s cultivation was not as high as the pig demon or Barry Bear, the white dragon was no ordinary creature. Dragons, though technically considered demons, are far superior to typical monsters.
At the very least, by the standards of the Heavenly Army, dragons are not treated as mere monsters. Even those without celestial rank or ties to the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas are generally left alone by Heaven, provided they do not disturb the mortal world or violate Heavenly law.
With such a wandering, ambiguous status, why would a white dragon be traveling alongside a pig demon and a bear demon?
And another thing: why was the pig demon able to so easily destroy the formation pearls crafted by Heavenly artisans, and see through my identity so swiftly?
Kui-Wolf did not fear offending the demon clans. With his strength, even a direct clash with a demon king would not necessarily leave him at a disadvantage. Over the years, he had quietly dealt with many invading demons. In truth, real demon kings had little interest in making enemies of him—such feuds were simply not worth the trouble.
What Kui-Wolf feared most was his true identity being exposed.
To descend to the mortal world in secret was a grave crime; coupled with his forbidden love for Belle, if this news were to break, it would cause an uproar among the immortals. No one could shield him then.
As a Heavenly general, he understood all too well the ways of the High Celestial Palace. For the sake of Heaven’s dignity, an army would inevitably be sent to suppress him. Even if the entire Kingdom of Precious Elephant were razed, it would be deemed necessary.
In all Three Realms, there would be nowhere left for him to hide.
For this reason, he could not allow the pig demon to leak his secrets—no matter what. That was why he pursued them so relentlessly.
Yet now, looking back, he realized that these people were riddled with suspicious details.
Thinking this, his grip on Xuanzang’s throat unconsciously loosened a little.
Though Kui-Wolf did not entirely believe Barry Bear’s warning that disaster would strike if anything happened to Xuanzang, a monk guarded by two Grand Supreme Golden Immortal-level demons must surely have some remarkable background.
Feeling the hand at his throat relax a little, Xuanzang gasped for breath, taking several moments before he recovered.