"It should be a good thing."
Ji Buwang seemed to sense Xu Yi's unease and suddenly said.
Xu Yi's eyes lit up, "Did you figure something out?"
Ji Buwang shook his head, "Monkey King Mountain is internally occupied by spiritual energy storms, and my divine sense cannot approach. However, I detected a familiar aura within the spiritual energy storm, and I believe it's good news."
Hearing this, Xu Yi felt as if he had taken a calming pill.
Although Ji Buwang didn't explicitly state it, the familiar auras he sensed in Shenzhou were only a few, and Monkey King was among them.
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang once again fell into a long period of waiting.
By a deep pool in Shenzhou.
The Eight-tailed White Fox and the Barbarian Ox faced each other in silence.
After a long while, the Barbarian Ox impatiently ground its iron hooves on the ground, "Is that Tun Tian Python really dead?"
The Eight-tailed White Fox nodded, its eight beautiful long tails drooping listlessly behind it.
Both great demons were stunned by the news and didn't know what to do.
"Didn't they say the Monkey King was seriously injured and no longer possessed his original strength? How could he still..."
The Barbarian Ox couldn't finish its sentence, a trace of imperceptible fear hidden in its large beastly eyes.
Its cultivation was not much different from Tun Tian Python's. If they were to fight to the death, the outcome would be fifty-fifty.
But at their level, death was a difficult matter. Even if they couldn't completely kill each other, they would still have the strength to escape.
Unless their lifespan was exhausted or they failed in their attempt to ascend, they might perish.
Yet, Tun Tian Python had died just like that.
Not only the Barbarian Ox found it hard to accept, but the Eight-tailed White Fox, who had personally orchestrated all of this, also found it hard to believe.
It had learned of the Monkey King's injury long ago, but at that time, the Demon Race had not yet contacted it, and it had no intention of opposing the Monkey King. Thus, it had treated it as mere rumor.
Later, when it decided to join forces with the Demon Race, it discovered that the Monkey King was the greatest obstacle, and it resolved to bring the Monkey King down.
Bringing down the Monkey King was not an easy task.
It considered itself resourceful, but its strength was the weakest among the great demons, let alone facing the Monkey King, who was known as the God of War of the demon race, head-on.
Therefore, it later devised a plan, intending to test the waters by having Tun Tian Python probe the Monkey King's strength. If the latter was indeed severely injured, then with the combined efforts of several great demons, they would have no trouble dealing with the Monkey King.
Of course, it had also considered the possibility that the Monkey King was not injured and that the information it received was false.
But it also had a backup plan: if necessary, it would lie low, bide its time, and operate in secret.
Although the Monkey King was powerful, its strategic thinking was far inferior to its own.
It believed it had considered all possibilities but did not anticipate that Tun Tian Python would fail to escape and die at the hands of the Monkey King.
Tun Tian Python's death was undoubtedly a huge blow to their plan.
Let alone how their subordinate beasts would react with unease and instability once the news spread.
Even they, the two great demons, could not help but feel apprehensive upon receiving the news, as the Monkey King's past heroic deeds once again appeared in their minds.
If the Monkey King could kill Tun Tian Python, then it certainly possessed the ability to kill them as well.
Did they really want to stick to their plan and oppose the Monkey King?
The Barbarian Ox was not as deep in thought as the Eight-tailed White Fox. It only saw the immediate crisis and thus immediately proposed abandoning the plan.
Originally, this was a matter between the Demon Race and the Human Race. Why should they wade into such troubled waters?
In the Barbarian Ox's opinion, living in Shenzhou was not bad at all. Although the territory was a bit small, they didn't have to worry about being invaded by human cultivators.
It had some vague memories that told it that many powerful human figures enjoyed hunting demon beasts to hone their martial skills.
The Barbarian Ox did not want to spend years cultivating diligently only to become a stepping stone for others.
After several shifts in its gaze, the Eight-tailed White Fox suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Barbarian Ox, don't you find it strange? If the Monkey King had such strength, why did it remain confined to its Monkey King Mountain, allowing us to stir up trouble outside without showing itself?"
"This..." The Barbarian Ox was momentarily speechless. After a while, it hesitantly said, "Perhaps the Monkey King did not want to interfere in this matter, but Tun Tian Python went to its door to provoke it, which angered it, and thus it struck with killing intent."
The more the Barbarian Ox spoke, the more reasonable its speculation seemed, and its desire to retreat grew stronger.
Although it had never fought the Monkey King, it had witnessed the Monkey King fight other great demons.
The Monkey King possessed a magic weapon called the "Suixin Stick" (隨心棍), a treasure gifted by the previous Demon King, which the Monkey King had refined in its dantian for many years and could control at will.
Back then, with a pair of iron fists and the Suixin Stick, the Monkey King was practically invincible in Shenzhou.
The Barbarian Ox had personally witnessed a great demon challenging the Monkey King at that time, only to be struck by the Monkey King with a single blow that splattered its brain and sent its eyeballs flying.
At that time, it felt that the Monkey King was incredibly valiant, but now that it thought about opposing the Monkey King, it couldn't help but feel a chill. Its mind even began to conjure scenes of itself being struck and bleeding profusely.
"Hmph, you know the Monkey King's temper. If it could have easily killed Tun Tian Python, why would it have tolerated our rampant actions? Moreover, look, it's been so long, and the Monkey King still hasn't appeared. There must be something peculiar going on."
The Eight-tailed White Fox's ears twitched slightly, and a cold glint flashed in its beastly eyes.
"You mean that after killing Tun Tian Python, the Monkey King also paid a heavy price?"
The Barbarian Ox pondered for a moment and probed tentatively.
"Yes, the Monkey King must be in a bad state right now. Perhaps this is our best opportunity."
The Eight-tailed White Fox's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Its somewhat cooled blood began to boil again due to this speculation.
Strike while the iron is hot.
If it killed the Monkey King, it would be able to live without worry.
The Barbarian Ox caught a glimpse of the fighting spirit in the Eight-tailed White Fox's eyes and felt inexplicably fearful.
It felt that the Eight-tailed White Fox's state was becoming increasingly abnormal.
Furthermore, it recalled that the reason Tun Tian Python died was entirely due to the instigation of the Eight-tailed White Fox. It feared that it would suffer the same fate as Tun Tian Python and become another casualty of the Monkey King's stick, so it immediately declared its unwillingness to go and test.
No matter how the Eight-tailed White Fox tried to persuade it, it remained steadfast.
The Eight-tailed White Fox was also somewhat annoyed, "You are so cowardly and fearful, yet you want to lead the demon race back to Jiuzhou!"
The Barbarian Ox flicked its tail, creating a gust of wind, "It's you who wants to lead the demon race back to Jiuzhou. Don't include me."
It was not like Tun Tian Python, who harbored a deep hatred for the human race. The reason it was willing to join in the first place was that Shenzhou was too peaceful, and it wanted some excitement.
But now, seeing that the situation threatened its life, it decisively decided to withdraw.
Disregarding the Eight-tailed White Fox's overt or covert threats, it flicked its tail and left under the latter's murderous gaze, taking with it a large number of its subordinate beasts.
It would continue to guard its own lair and stay out of all disputes.
After the Barbarian Ox left, an angry roar emanated from the deep pool, lingering for a long time.