It was none other than certain individuals with ulterior motives, who, like Sun Kong, had noticed that the hosts, Qing Quan Dao Ren and Song Jian Dao Ren, had altered the process prematurely, triggering a crisis. They had all mobilized!
Their speed was astonishing.
Their methods were ruthless.
Apart from Sun Kong, everyone else was alerted, including the inhabitants of Wuzhuang Guan, Wu Zhiqi, Zhou Wuxian, Jin Chanzi, Nezha, and the Six Ding and Six Jia.
Even the Fu Lu Shou trio in the heavens and the three Bodhisattvas in the South Sea were alarmed!
...
"You two useless disciples of Zhen Yuanzi, you could have followed the proper procedure without error. Your arrogance has led to this misfortune."
"Enough talk. We are acting under the orders of King Da Li Shen Yang from south of Wuzhuang Guan. We are here to collect the Ginseng Fruit. Does anyone dare object?"
"Brothers, attack! The King has spoken: Wuzhuang Guan violated the procedure first, angering the Heavenly Tribulation. They deserve to be robbed, and this is our opportunity, we demons and monsters!"
The first to arrive were none other than subordinates of Da Li Shen Yang, a demon king residing thirty million li south of Mount Longevity's Wuzhuang Guan.
Their cultivation might not have been particularly high, but their intellect was top-notch.
Before Zhen Yuanzi could even react or send for reinforcements, a horde of sheep demons, with cultivation ranging from Nascent Soul to Void Integration, led by a few peak Earth Immortals and early Heavenly Immortals, swarmed in.
Of course, if it were just these demons, who were no match for Golden Immortals, they wouldn't have been able to shake the elites of Wuzhuang Guan like Qing Quan Dao Ren and Song Jian Dao Ren.
But just as the disciples of Wuzhuang Guan were laughing, King Da Li Shen Yang himself appeared. He was no ordinary being, but a true Golden Immortal perfected!
"Brother Qing Quan, Brother Song Jian, thank you for being so understanding. You know that we fellow Daoists who live near Mount Longevity are in dire need of this Ginseng Fruit. You've opened your doors for us."
"For this great kindness, I, Da Li Shen Yang, on behalf of my hundreds of brothers, express my gratitude."
"But don't close your doors and block us. We won't take it all. After all, we still need to leave some for Da Li Shen Yu in the east, Da Li Shen Niu in the west, and Da Li Shen Tu in the north."
"We usually serve Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi. Over the years, we've had no merit, but we've had hard work. If he weren't as generous as you, we would have come long ago."
"However, now that we are acting in front of Great Sage Sun, I believe even he will understand our plight. Don't be so stingy, people of Wuzhuang Guan."
With these words, the Golden Immortal perfected, Da Li Shen Yang, shamelessly invoked Sun Kong's name as his endorsement, a move that even Sun Kong had to admire.
The next moment.
Before Qing Quan Dao Ren and Song Jian Dao Ren, who were blocking the way, could activate the Wuzhuang Guan protection array, Da Li Shen Yang let out a whistle, summoning the Da Li Shen Yu, Da Li Shen Niu, and Da Li Shen Tu from the other three directions.
He himself then blew on the sheep skull he held in his hand.
Instantly.
This power, which could be considered either demonic or magical, spread throughout most of Wuzhuang Guan, striking all the disciples of Wuzhuang Guan.
He himself, seizing this opportunity, took precisely one-fourth of the fruits.
That is, one-fourth of twenty-eight, which was seven.
After obtaining them.
Da Li Shen Yang was remarkably trustworthy and didn't demand more. He then stirred up a demonic wind, and with hundreds of his subordinates, he retreated in minutes.
Their speed, of course, could not compare to Sun Kong's.
However, it was far superior to the arrogant disciples of Wuzhuang Guan!
And not long after Da Li Shen Yang and his entourage departed.
The other three routes.
Da Li Shen Yu from the east stirred up a surge of three-clawed golden water, which instantly flooded most of Wuzhuang Guan, allowing him to snatch seven Ginseng Fruits.
Da Li Shen Niu from the west then thrust out a pair of ox horns, colliding them to produce astonishing庚金 (Geng Metal) sparks, severely injuring Qing Quan Dao Ren and Song Jian Dao Ren, and also taking seven Ginseng Fruits.
Finally.
It was the turn of Da Li Shen Tu and his group from the north. They were slightly more polite, merely activating their blood-red eyes and shooting out two beams of light to freeze the bodies of the Wuzhuang Guan disciples.
There was no rough assault.
No vulgar curses.
They simply seized this opportunity to snatch seven Ginseng Fruits and headed towards Rabbit God Mountain, forty-eight million li to the north, with a somewhat elegant demeanor!
And that was not all.
Besides the four Golden Immortal perfected kings from the four directions, gods, buddhas, demons, spirits, and so on, from all around Mount Longevity's Wuzhuang Guan and even further away.
In short, they all took advantage of the Heavenly Tribulation's focus on Wuzhuang Guan to snatch things. Even if the Ginseng Fruits were gone, they even set their sights on the very bricks of Wuzhuang Guan!
The total number exceeded hundreds of millions.
Their imposing aura was reminiscent of the time when billions of beings besieged New Flower Fruit Mountain, leaving Sun Kong speechless!
Seeing this scene.
Qing Quan Dao Ren, the most foolish male lead, and Song Jian Dao Ren, the second male lead, immediately fainted.
The Sages of the Heavens, who had initially not paid much attention to such a minor matter, were all astonished!
...
"Who says only Sun Houzi can court death?"
"These disciples of Zhen Yuanzi also like to court death, and to this extent. Heh, this Daoist is truly speechless."
Lao Zi sneered.
...
"Tsk tsk, this is bad for Zhen Yuanzi. First, his two disciples were disobedient and didn't follow the procedure, thus incurring the wrath of the Heavenly Dao. Now, the Ginseng Fruits are gone, and this is an unnecessary complication."
"Given Daoist Sun's shrewdness, he probably won't continue to cause himself trouble. But in this case, how can the Ginseng Fruit tree be saved?"
Yuanshi Tianzun commented, expressing his regret over Zhen Yuanzi's declining cultivation.
...
"Hahaha, good fellow, back then my Jie Teachings were besieged by everyone. Now, Zhen Yuanzi deserves to have his Ginseng Fruits snatched. "
"I don't care what Sun Kong does next or whether the Heavenly Dao will punish him. But I'm happy to see someone as unfortunate as my Jie Teachings. It's a shame there aren't enough casualties."
Tong Tian Jiao Zhu chuckled sinisterly, not only mocking Zhen Yuanzi's misfortune but also lamenting that Wuzhuang Guan had not foreseen this outcome beforehand. Otherwise, sending people to participate would have been more interesting.
...
Meanwhile.
The other Sages also expressed their views.
Empress Nuwa frowned at Zhen Yuanzi's predicament and the greed of hundreds of millions of demons and monsters, but there was nothing she could do. Even she couldn't change it.
She only felt a little relieved when she saw that Sun Kong was not involved in this wicked act, but was following the procedure, destroying the Ginseng Fruit, and waiting for the nineteenth trial.
The two Sages of the Western Teachings had no further comments upon seeing this. They immediately notified Fozu Randeng and the three Bodhisattvas Guanyin!
"The eighteenth trial has already shown signs of abnormality."
"Next, the nineteenth trial may also have significant variations. Do not be careless. Hurry and actively seek cooperation with Sun Houzi."