Chapter 82: The Flame-War Ape

Yuan Wujie had been back at Wuzhang Mountain for nearly three months. Life during this time was uneventful and tranquil. Perhaps it was Yuan Wujie's presence that had made Hu Baisheng more subdued; even when encountering King Yurong, he bowed and nodded, which left King Yurong somewhat embarrassed to pursue vengeance against him.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

Yuan Wujie, who was in the central hall of Wuzhang Cave pondering when he might return to the Celestial Court, was abruptly interrupted by a demon soldier rushing in.

"What is it, to make you so flustered?"

"That demon king from before has returned. He's outside, calling for a challenge," the demon soldier answered anxiously.

"Oh?"

"In that case, go inform General Hu and have him go out to meet the foe."

It could be said the timing was just right. A few days earlier, Yuan Wujie had sent King Yurong to scout out the nearby forces, and he would not be returning any time soon.

If King Yurong were present at Wuzhang Mountain, he would likely be the first to rush out, but now this was a perfect chance to gauge Hu Baisheng's abilities and plan how best to use this piece in his next move.

Hu Baisheng quickly received Yuan Wujie's order and hurried outside the cave at once.

"King Yurong, you coward! Do you dare come out and face me in battle?" The Fire Ape, clad in flaming armor, shouted abuse outside the cave. Around him lay numerous corpses of demon soldiers, all burned to death. The air was thick with the scent of roasted flesh.

"You impudent monkey, you dare provoke us again!" Hu Baisheng retorted.

"Why is it you again? Where is King Yurong?"

The Ancient Fire Ape's main purpose was to seek trouble with King Yurong. He hadn't expected to encounter Hu Baisheng again. Last time, he had thought Hu Baisheng was simply a demon king allied with King Yurong, helping to guard his territory. Now, seeing Hu Baisheng once more, he realized things were not as simple as he had imagined.

"How would I know the whereabouts of our Second Lord?"

"But you will soon be a soul beneath my staff." Hu Baisheng raised his black rod, aiming it at the Ancient Fire Ape.

Yuan Wujie watched quietly from the side. Perhaps the Ancient Fire Ape had not noticed his presence, but Hu Baisheng certainly had; Yuan Wujie's aura was etched into his very bones, especially when he made no effort to conceal it.

Hu Baisheng recalled Yuan Wujie's previous words, and now, filled with murderous intent, he turned his gaze upon the Ancient Fire Ape.

"You’re merely his subordinate?" The Ancient Fire Ape exclaimed in shock.

It hadn’t been long since he last came to trouble King Yurong, yet everything was utterly different from what he had expected. The Ancient Fire Ape had heard that King Yurong’s sworn elder brother was the Divine Monkey King, so the ruler of Wuzhang Cave should be the Divine Monkey King. But he recalled clearly what level King Yurong’s cultivation was back then, and thus he had never regarded the powers of Wuzhang Mountain with any seriousness. Even if the Divine Monkey King wiped them all out, he believed their strengths were not far apart. More astonishing to him was that the Divine Monkey King dared to risk the consequences of destroying an entire cultivation kingdom, for the heavenly tribulation brought on by immense karmic backlash was not something anyone could withstand.

Now, arriving at Wuzhang Mountain, even a mere subordinate seemed to possess cultivation superior to his own, which left the Ancient Fire Ape astonished.

While he was still in shock, Hu Baisheng gripped his black rod tightly and attacked the Ancient Fire Ape.

"Bold!"

The Ancient Fire Ape hadn’t expected to be caught off guard. He quickly pulled out a crimson talisman and pressed it toward the direction of Hu Baisheng’s assault.

The crimson talisman transformed into a gigantic fire wolf, which under the Ancient Fire Ape’s control appeared fierce and ferocious. Hu Baisheng’s charged strike seemed insignificant before the fire wolf, and he was sent flying by its massive paw.

With a heavy thud, Hu Baisheng halted his retreat, his tiger paw singed black by the flames, emitting the scent of scorched fur.

"Take this—Fire Wolf Gale!"

With a loud shout, the massive fire wolf spewed a whirlwind of flames from its maw, aiming at Hu Baisheng.

Even Yuan Wujie, watching from the sidelines, could feel the intense heat of the fiery whirlwind.

Hu Baisheng’s eyes were filled with grim resolve. Last time, he had traded only a few blows and never witnessed the Ancient Fire Ape’s true strength. Now, it was clear that things were not so simple.

The black rod in his hand gleamed with a white glow, transforming under his control into a powerful splitting blade, severing the fire whirlwind and, with its residual force, surging toward the Ancient Fire Ape. However, the attack was easily neutralized by the fire wolf.

"Hu Baisheng is truly gifted. It seems the forging of his Hundred Demon Pill was no coincidence," Yuan Wujie muttered, stroking his chin.

Facing the Ancient Fire Ape, Hu Baisheng had no choice but to display his best skills. These magical abilities had been taught to him by a voice in his dreams, but unfortunately, Hu Baisheng refused to abandon the Hundred Demon Pill, so many of the most powerful spells were beyond his reach; only some, unrestricted, could be learned.

The splitting blade technique was one of those.

"Not bad," the Ancient Fire Ape admitted, marveling at the power of the splitting blade spell. To be able to cultivate such formidable magic—could he really be just a subordinate?

The Ancient Fire Ape entered the fire wolf’s body, controlling it to attack. This time, it wasn’t a whirlwind of flames, but the wolf lunged directly at Hu Baisheng.

"Wind Tiger Rising!"

Facing the charging fire wolf, Hu Baisheng refused to back down. This was no ordinary wood-element cultivation, but wind—a mutation of the wood element within the five elements, possessing tremendous offensive power.

Hu Baisheng’s speed was now beyond what the Ancient Fire Ape could perceive; even Yuan Wujie could make out only a fleeting shadow.

"This spell is extraordinary," Yuan Wujie thought.

Even with the fire wolf’s formidable strength, the Ancient Fire Ape could not even graze Hu Baisheng, let alone harm him. All he could do was endure the blows passively.

Occasionally, flames would flicker across the fire wolf’s massive body, but would soon die down.

"Don’t waste your efforts. Your attacks cannot harm the fire wolf, much less me," the Ancient Fire Ape taunted from within the fire wolf’s body.

From afar, Yuan Wujie frowned. It seemed the Ancient Fire Ape was not as simple as he had imagined. After all, for an ancient clan to survive from antiquity to the present, how could they not be formidable? He realized he would have to treat the ancient races with greater caution.

Even the method by which the Ancient Fire Ape controlled the fire wolf was something Yuan Wujie had never seen before. In his previous life, not even Journey to the West featured ancient races like these. Now, he knew he could not afford to overlook them.

"Curse it!"

Hu Baisheng was also frustrated. If his opponent were an ordinary demon king, he would have slain him already, but this was an anomaly—the fire wolf’s body was suffused with flames, immune to ordinary attacks, let alone the Ancient Fire Ape within.

Hu Baisheng’s spell had its own limitations: while using Wind Tiger Rising, he could not cast any other spells. If he did, Wind Tiger Rising would be canceled. Thus, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, unable to gain the upper hand over each other.