12: Chapter 13 Yellow Wind Ridge

After leaving Gao Family Village, the master and his three disciples continued their journey westward, enduring wind and rain, hunger and thirst along the way.

Though the scenery was beautiful, it could not dispel the growing irritability in their hearts.

In Buddhism, this was considered a trial; overcoming this tribulation was part of the journey to obtain the scriptures.

On the road, they met an old man and stayed the night at his house. From him, they learned that continuing west would lead to Yellow Wind Ridge, home to a powerful demon known as the Yellow Wind Monster.

The Pilgrim didn't care much. He blinked his Fiery Eyes and chuckled.

"Even if that monster has great divine abilities, I have my ways to capture him. After all, I am the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven, who sat upon the throne of an Immortal King five hundred years ago!"

Hearing this, the old man stopped trying to dissuade them and allowed the four travelers to stay.

The next day, the master and disciples continued their westward journey.

"Senior Brother, why is the demon of Yellow Wind Ridge so terrifying? People eight hundred miles away already know of his ferocity."

Dharma Name's legs felt weak as he walked beside the Pilgrim.

The Pilgrim jumped up, breathed on his hand, and slapped the back of Dharma Name's head, cursing.

"You damned fool! You're boosting the enemy's morale while crushing our own! No matter how powerful that monster is, can he be harder to fight than the Buddha?"

"If even this can cause harm to Master and my Junior Brothers, I'll go back under the Five Fingers Mountain and continue eating dirt!"

Ao Lie listened, his eyes flickering with a deep light.

During this time, he had been secretly observing the movements of Yellow Wind Ridge.

The grand entrance of the cave, which bore the inscription 'Yellow Wind Ridge, Yellow Wind Cave,' showed almost no activity.

He decided not to worry for now. In the original story, a Tiger Vanguard would jump out midway and use a 'Golden Cicada Shedding Its Skin' technique to abduct that useless Tang Seng.

Then Monkey King and Pigsy would rush to Yellow Wind Cave to demand his return, only to be blown away by the Great Sage of Yellow Wind using the Samadhi Divine Wind.

Even Monkey King's Fiery Eyes would be blown until they were sore and unbearable.

Pigsy would be smoked until he resembled a 'smoked roasted pig'...

If they hadn't requested outside help, the journey to the west might have ended right there.

...

As he was thinking, they reached the territory of Yellow Wind Ridge, and soon encountered the Tiger Vanguard from the original story.

Tang Seng's horse was in the lead when a striped tiger suddenly leaped out from a mountain hollow.

The tiger let out a roar, startling the horse and its rider so much that they fell to the ground.

Seeing this, Pigsy raised his rake and struck, turning the tiger into a pulp, which then dissolved into the wind.

A fierce general clad in a fur coat then materialized in its place.

It was indeed the Tiger Vanguard, who once fought two Great Sages single-handedly.

In my opinion, the most naturally talented wild demon in the entire book is definitely the Tiger Vanguard, subordinate to the Yellow Wind Monster.

He had cultivated for a thousand years, and upon reaching the Taiyi Golden Immortal stage, he could actually hold his own against two Daluo Immortals. Though he couldn't last long, it was still impressive.

The most ridiculous part was that even some major demons who represented a specific tribulation couldn't claim to abduct Tang Seng while both disciples were present.

Yet the Tiger Vanguard did it. Thus, the first impression he gives is one of strength—a formidable, independent strength.

Based on this talent, the Tiger Vanguard likely corresponds to a General-level in the Shadow Legion.

Tiger Vanguard wielded two copper-ring red blades against Dharma Name. Seeing the Pilgrim approaching and knowing he was outmatched, he shook his body and reverted to his original form.

He shed his tiger skin and draped it over a rock, while his true form turned into a gust of wind, flew to Tang Seng's side, and snatched him away.

Ao Lie was about to step forward, but his heart cooled. His eyes darted around as a plan formed in his mind.

"I can't take him down here. I'll wait until he's further away and capture him myself. This is indispensable combat power!"

With this thought, Ao Lie summoned Xiao Hei and ordered him to chase the Tiger Vanguard.

Xiao Hei was already a master of wind; his body turned into a gust of black wind, carrying Ao Lie as they pursued the blood-colored evil wind of the Tiger Vanguard.

Ao Lie left a message behind, instructing his fellow disciples not to follow and to let him handle the capture.

They were only to come and help after Ao Lie sent a signal to the sky.

Ao Lie's instructions were mainly for the Pilgrim. After all, only the Monkey King knew of Ao Lie's true abilities, so he believed the Monkey King wouldn't pointlessly interfere.

...

The Tiger Vanguard was only at the Late Stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm, making him one minor Realm lower than Xiao Hei.

The former's understanding of the Dao and mastery of Spells could not compare to the latter's.

Xiao Hei's black wind was like a demon; no matter how much the Tiger Vanguard accelerated, Xiao Hei could keep up in an instant.

Yellow Wind Cave was visible in the distance, and the Tiger Vanguard's eyes lit up brilliantly.

He cursed inwardly and increased his speed.

Tang Seng's constant sobbing in his arms annoyed him, so he reached out a tiger claw and gave Tang Seng's head a light pat.

Though it was just a light pat, Tang Seng immediately bled from his seven orifices and fainted.

Seeing the Tiger Vanguard about to escape back home, Ao Lie grew ruthless. He had Xiao Hei drop him off and go capture the two figures within that blood-colored wind.

Xiao Hei obeyed. After landing and dropping Ao Lie, he burst forward with even greater speed, instantly reaching the top of the Tiger Vanguard's head and summoning a giant bear claw.

With eyes wide, he let out a bear roar and slammed his massive hand down toward the Tiger Vanguard's head.

Bang!

A loud explosion echoed from a small hill not far in front of Ao Lie. A hole had been blasted through the mountainside, and dust instantly filled the air.

The Tiger Vanguard's Origin Qi had already been heavily damaged by the loss of his Innate tiger skin, and now he was hit by such a heavy blow.

His body couldn't take it, and he violently spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Then, as if he had been struck hard in the stomach, he vomited up the contents of his stomach along with more blood.

Protected by his Treasure Light Cassock, Tang Seng's body suffered no fall damage at all, nor was it stained by a single speck of dust.

As the Tiger Vanguard struggled to stand, a figure approached. His vision blurred; his abdomen had been pierced by a mountain rock, and fresh blood was gushing out.

His consciousness began to fade, but his body was healing frantically; the bleeding stopped within moments.

"Who are you! Who exactly are you? We have no grudge, why do you want to kill me? My King is the Great Sage of Yellow Wind..."

Before he could finish, a large hand descended onto his head. Through the gaps between the fingers, he saw a cold-eyed dragon-man with a piece of foxtail grass in his mouth.

The next moment, with a bang, the Tiger Vanguard's head turned into a shower of roses, dissipating into the world.

...

Ao Lie wiped his hands and called back Xiao Hei. Then, he looked at the headless corpse of the Tiger Vanguard and said in a deep voice:

"Arise!"

A moment later, a striped tiger climbed up from the ground and shortly after transformed into a human shape.

"Greetings, Master!"

The Tiger Vanguard knelt on one knee. He was even taller than when he was alive, his entire body wreathed in black flames and clad in majestic armor.

Ao Lie was shocked that the Tiger Vanguard could actually speak, but then he felt relieved upon thinking about it.

Xiao Hei's refusal to speak must have been purely out of spite!

After all, what Ao Lie did was indeed not very humane.

Ao Lie gave the Tiger Vanguard the name Tiger Overlord, then prepared to take his master back to find his fellow disciples.

But at that moment, angry curses rang out from the horizon. Turning to look, he saw the sky filled with dancing demons, all looking at Ao Lie and the two generals beside him with eyes wide with rage.

"That's the Tiger Vanguard! It's this monster who killed the Tiger Vanguard!"