Slowly returning to his true form, Erik Yang stared coldly at Monkey. His brows knitted in a frown.
Step aside—!
The oppressive sound waves spread rapidly, deafening like thunder.
All the demons in the underground city recoiled in shock; the scorched, tattered canvas hanging before the foundry trembled faintly in the heat.
Every demon stared wide-eyed at Erik Yang in terror.
The vast underground city fell utterly silent, leaving only Monkey’s face still wearing a mischievous grin.
Leaning on his Cloudwalker Staff, Monkey slowly stood up. Under the gaze of the demons, he stepped forward and glared, "And what if I don’t step aside?"
Erik Yang reached out to shield Jade Cauldron, a fierce wind rising as golden light gathered all around.
The light landed on his shoulders, forming pauldrons—on which golden dragons spat pearls.
It fell onto his chest, becoming a breastplate, with a qilin leaping upon it.
It settled atop his head, forming a purple jade crown, its gemstones dazzling.
In his hand, it had already become the Trident Saber, whose might shakes the Three Realms, spiritual energy swirling around it.
At the center of his forehead, the Third Eye slowly opened, its glow intimidating all who beheld it.
Under the divine radiance, all demons trembled.
In a flash, his red cloak billowed—the scholar’s guise vanished, and before them stood the war-god whose name commands the Three Realms!
On that face, as if covered in ten-thousand-year ice, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He slowly raised his eyelids and gazed at Monkey with a cool indifference.
“If I don’t step aside, you’re welcome to try.”
With those words, Monkey clearly saw the dense ranks of the demon army shrink back a little.
Standing before them, Erik Yang retained his graceful bearing, but now his aura was overwhelming—his expression remote, untouched by mortal dust.
A suffocating silence spread like a plague; not a single demon in the underground city dared to breathe. All knew in their hearts: before them stood General Erlang, the True Lord Erlang, the one who defied Heaven itself and could not be destroyed—the undisputed war-god of the Three Realms.
Even Marshal Silver, who commands six hundred thousand river troops and suppresses countless demons, must kneel before him.
After a long moment, Monkey suddenly burst out laughing. Gradually, his laughter grew wild, echoing through the vast underground space and making the flames flicker.
He laughed until he was out of breath, but no one dared to join him. Only Jade Cauldron responded with a contemptuous glance.
After a while, as the laughter faded into a faint cough, Monkey lowered his head and glared at Erik Yang: "Leaving is easy for you—but what about your master?"
All around, every bowstring tightened slightly, and bright arrowheads pointed in perfect unison at Jade Cauldron.
The timid Jade Cauldron hurriedly hid behind Erik Yang.
"Do you think a Spirit-Transformation Golden Immortal, who walks the Sage's Path, could survive and escape from this sea of soldiers?"
Monkey slammed his Cloudwalker Staff on the stone floor, sending cracks radiating outward from where he stood.
Vast spiritual power gathered; every strand of his fur stood on end, glowing with a dark golden light. Lightning darted around him, crackling sharply.
Dust floated in the cracks splitting the stone beneath his feet.
His expression gradually twisted into a snarl.
"You want to use my master as a hostage? Hmph, clever demon monkey. I should've killed you at Bluewave Lake." Erik Yang gritted his teeth, glaring coldly around the underground city. "Quite the achievement here. But tell me, if I, Erik Yang, strike—how many of your demons will walk out alive?"
The front-line demon soldiers swallowed nervously, hands trembling on their weapons.
Monkey bared his teeth in a low growl, licking his canine fangs. He raised his Cloudwalker Staff with one hand, pointed it at Erik Yang, and tilted his head with excitement: "How about this—we duel. You don’t harm my demons, I won’t harm your master. If you win, you take him and go. If I win, he stays and you leave. Deal?"
High above, clad in black armor, Shortbeak slowly extended his hands and gently applauded.
The army formations below stepped back in unison, giving the two space to fight.
"Well? Agree or not?" Monkey grinned at Erik Yang.
"Long live the King! Long live the King!"
The shouts erupted at once, filling the entire underground city.
All the demons began to roar; soldiers beat their weapons on shields, craftsmen waved their tools, and laborers shouted themselves hoarse.
Erik Yang snorted with disdain, glaring at Monkey. "A duel with me? You’re asking for death!"
"You’ll only know if you try!"
Monkey leaped, turning into a streak of lightning that shot toward Erik Yang, swinging his staff straight at Erik’s forehead.
Erik Yang stepped forward calmly, spinning his Trident Saber with all his strength and hurling it in a powerful arc!
Clang—!
A whirlwind swept through every corner of the underground city in an instant, making every demon squint against the force.
Everything trembled.
In that split second, the Trident Saber and Cloudwalker Staff collided, sparks flying, illuminating everything as if it were daylight.
The tiles beneath Erik Yang’s feet shattered as he staggered back a step—so deep his foot sank into the ground.
Monkey shot out like a meteor, leaning back with his Cloudwalker Staff and barely managing to stand. His feet scraped across the ground, kicking up sand and stone, leaving two deep gouges in the floor.
His body crashed heavily into the unfinished warship’s keel, smashing its base to pieces.
The massive scaffolding tilted, then collapsed with a roar, sending dust swirling into the air—seen from above, it looked like a geyser of gray mist.
The whole world fell silent.
Every demon stared wide-eyed, transfixed by the slowly spreading dust.
After a long moment, Monkey’s figure slowly emerged from the dust.
He was standing.
His leather armor was shattered, but his body showed no wounds. He swung the Cloudwalker Staff, flexing his palm, breathing heavily as he laughed: "Impressive. That was… quite a rush."
His eyes shone with exhilaration.
The demons erupted in thunderous cheers. Erik Yang frowned slightly, staring at Monkey in surprise.
Jade Cauldron Immortal was so stunned he couldn’t close his mouth.