Monkey stared at the dolphin demon's slightly contemptuous, unyielding expression, momentarily taken aback. The smile on his face slowly faded. "And if I insist on entering through the main gate?"
But the dolphin demon ignored him, snorted, and said, "You can try."
"Oh?"
Is this supposed to be a show of force?
This opening act really isn't very pleasant.
Monkey glanced at the side gate, then the main gate, then at the dolphin demon blocking his way. He scratched his head as if to leave, but when the dolphin demon was distracted, he spun around and strode past him toward the main entrance.
"You!" The dolphin demon tried to chase after him, but somehow his feet tangled together and he fell flat on his face, eating dirt.
Horace Coil and the shark demon quickly followed after.
The dolphin demon, sprawled on the ground, panicked and struggled to get up, only to find his limbs wouldn't obey him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rise, so he could only lift his head and shout to the shrimp soldiers at the gate: "Stop them!"
The two shrimp soldiers guarding the entrance immediately raised their halberds and barked, "Halt!"
The two halberds crossed in front of them, blocking the way.
Monkey stopped, gave the two shrimp soldiers a faint glance, and leaned back as if about to sneeze, but held it in. When he looked down again, the two shrimp soldiers had inexplicably frozen, not moving at all—not even their long whiskers that had been drifting in the current. They just stood there, halberds in hand, as if completely frozen.
Without a word, Monkey reached out, pushed the halberds aside, smiled, and walked past them as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this, the dolphin demon was stunned.
Watching Monkey and his group draw closer to the main gate, he hurriedly shouted to the dozen shrimp soldiers stationed nearby: "Are you all idiots? Quick! Stop them!"
But he was dumbfounded.
Those shrimp soldiers weren't blind to Monkey's approach, nor deaf to the dolphin demon's shouting, nor slow to react.
From the very start, it was as if their feet had grown roots and were stuck fast to the ground, unable to move!
"What... is going on?"
Witnessing this, the dolphin demon suddenly broke out in goosebumps.
After much struggling, the dolphin demon finally managed to stand up. Looking up, he saw Monkey already standing by the main gate, turning to smile at him. "You told me I could try, so I tried—how was it?"
With that, Monkey stepped over the threshold right in front of the dolphin demon.
Only then did the shrimp soldiers collapse to the ground, looking bewildered.
"What, you're not leaving yet? Want me to tour the Dragon Palace alone?" Monkey folded his arms around the Cloudwalker Staff, turned, and grinned mischievously at the dolphin demon.
Horace Coil and the shark demon were already clutching their stomachs, laughing uncontrollably.
All the bravado from earlier had vanished. The dolphin demon's face turned purple, and he trembled, his hands and feet quivering. He could only blink nervously, not daring to say another word, and hunched over as he followed along.
The shrimp soldiers were so shocked they couldn't speak.
On the outskirts, one shrimp soldier quietly slipped away from the group.
...
Inside the Dragon Palace's grand hall.
"What?" The old Dragon King's red eyebrows furrowed slightly as he stared at the shrimp soldier kneeling on the floor. "He cast a spell without any incantation or gesture?"
"Your Majesty, that's correct. From start to finish, there was no sign of spellcasting, but everyone was clearly affected by the magic. And of those present, only that monkey demon could have cast it."
The old Dragon King paused, then turned to glance at the Turtle Chancellor. "What do you think?"
The Turtle Chancellor bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if it truly was the monkey demon's spell, then his cultivation must be above the Golden Immortal realm, and... his mastery of spell arts is extremely high."
"Golden Immortal, mastery of spell arts... And yet we had no idea that Blossom Mountain produced such a powerful demon?" The old Dragon King's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the shrimp soldier. "Where is he now?"
"Your Majesty, the monkey demon has already entered through the main gate and is currently touring the gardens with Lord Bluefin."
The old Dragon King stroked his long whiskers and said, "If he's dissatisfied with the reception, then raise the standards. If he truly is a Golden Immortal, he deserves Second-Rank River Dragon King treatment."
The Turtle Chancellor bowed deeply. "I will see to it at once, Your Majesty."
"Keep a close eye on him. I want to know just how strong this monkey demon really is."
...