41: Chapter 42 Exchanging Treasures!

King Silver Horn escorted Tang Seng, Ao Lie, and Sand Monk back to Lotus Cave to rendezvous with King Gold Horn.

Inside the Immortal Cave, the demons cheered incessantly, setting up a feast to celebrate, waiting only for an opportune moment to boil Tang Seng and enjoy his immortality-granting flesh.

Tang Seng was tied to a stone pillar, tears streaming down his face, filled with remorse; he regretted not listening to the Monkey King's advice and insisting on trusting the demons, which led him to this predicament.

Ao Lie hung his head in silence, appearing to accept his fate, but in reality, he was secretly channeling his Shadow Power, bit by bit, to probe the layout of the Immortal Cave.

At the same time, he attempted to break free from his restraints without making a sound, ensuring he showed no flaws throughout the process and never exposing his own secrets.

On the other side, the Monkey King, pinned down by three great mountains, struggled bitterly, his entire body aching in every bone and sinew.

He knew well that if he remained pinned here, Master and Junior Brother would surely meet with disaster, and the great undertaking of the pilgrimage would be cut short.

He gritted his teeth, circulated all his Immortal Qi, struggled with all his might, and kept chanting mantras, calling out to the local Mountain Gods and Earth Deities.

Before long, the Mountain Gods and Earth Deities of the three mountains appeared, bowing respectfully to the Monkey King, who was pinned beneath the mountains.

"This humble deity pays respects to the Great Sage. I do not know why the Great Sage has summoned me; what are your orders?"

"You Mountain Gods and Earth Deities dare to indulge the demons and move mountains to crush me!"

The Monkey King shouted sternly.

"Quickly move these three mountains away and let me out! Otherwise, I will surely raze your peaks to the ground and leave you with nowhere to settle!"

The Mountain Gods and Earth Deities trembled with fear and hurriedly knelt to beg for mercy.

"Great Sage, spare our lives! It is not that we indulge the demons, but that King Silver Horn possesses great magic power."

"Holding the Taishang Laojun's Magic Treasure, we lesser deities simply cannot resist and can only let him move the mountains!"

"Enough excuses! Move the mountains quickly and let me out!"

The Monkey King urged angrily.

"If you dare delay again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The Mountain Gods and Earth Deities dared not disobey and immediately joined forces to cast their Spells and chant their mantras.

They moved the Mount Sumeru, Mount Emei, and Mount Tai that were pinning the Monkey King one by one and returned them to their original places.

Once the three great mountains were moved, the Monkey King instantly broke free from his restraints. He leaped up, soared into the air, and stretched his limbs. Golden light surged around his body, and his previous injuries healed instantly.

He flexed his hands and feet, his gaze icy, as he looked toward the direction of Lotus Cave and thought to himself.

"Wicked demons, you dare to scheme to capture my Master and pin me down! This grudge, I will surely settle!"

Just as he was about to set off for Lotus Cave to rescue his Master and subdue the demons, he suddenly heard footsteps and the voices of small demons in the distance. He immediately concealed his figure, landed by the roadside, and observed quietly.

He saw two small demons, one named Jingxi Gui and the other named Lingli Chong.

They were each carrying a purple-gold red gourd and a sheep-fat jade purifying bottle, hurrying in this direction while chatting.

"Our Second King is truly formidable; he captured Tang Seng and his disciples in one fell swoop and even pinned the Monkey King under the mountains."

"Now the King has sent us with the treasures to subdue the Monkey King. This will be a great success, and we will surely be heavily rewarded upon our return!"

Jingxi Gui was full of excitement, holding the purple-gold red gourd in his hands, and said proudly.

"That is only natural. These two treasures are the Taishang Laojun's Magic Treasures; as long as you call someone's name."

"If they answer, they will be sucked inside and turn into pus in a short while. Even with the Monkey King's immense Divine Ability, he cannot resist!"

Lingli Chong held the sheep-fat jade purifying bottle and responded with a smile.

The Monkey King heard everything clearly from his hiding spot and was secretly shocked.

"I did not expect these wicked demons to possess such powerful Magic Treasures. If I fight them head-on, I fear it will be difficult to handle."

He rolled his eyes, a plan forming, and immediately plucked out a hair and blew a breath of Immortal Qi onto it.

With a shake of his body, he transformed into an old immortal with crane-white hair and a youthful face, holding a fly-whisk, and blocked the path of the two small demons.

Upon seeing this, Jingxi Gui and Lingli Chong hurriedly stopped, looking at the old immortal before them with confusion, and stepped forward to ask.

"Who are you? Why are you blocking our path here?"

The Monkey King feigned an immortal, transcendent air, gently stroked his fly-whisk, and said in a clear voice.

"I am an old immortal from Penglai Immortal Island. Passing by this place, I saw you two holding Magic Treasures and hurrying along; I wonder where you are headed?"

The two small demons looked at each other, completely unguarded, and immediately spoke truthfully.

"Old Immortal, we are acting on the orders of the King of Lotus Cave to take the purple-gold red gourd and the sheep-fat jade purifying bottle to subdue the Monkey King who is pinned under the mountain."

"Oh? Is it that Monkey King who is protecting Tang Seng on his pilgrimage to the West?"

The Monkey King feigned surprise.

"That monkey is incredibly mischievous, and I have long disliked him. It just so happens that I also want to deal with him. Why don't I go with you and lend you a helping hand?"

Jingxi Gui and Lingli Chong were overjoyed and hurriedly expressed their thanks.

"If we have the help of the Old Immortal, success will be guaranteed!"

The Monkey King smiled slightly, his gaze landing on the Magic Treasures in the hands of the two small demons, and asked with feigned curiosity.

"What are the magical uses of these two Magic Treasures of yours? Tell me about them."

The two small demons were full of pride and immediately told the Monkey King everything about the magical uses of the purple-gold red gourd and the sheep-fat jade purifying bottle, holding nothing back.

After listening, the Monkey King was secretly delighted but feigned disdain as he said.

"These two Magic Treasures can only hold people; what is so rare about that? I have a Magic Treasure in my hand that is a hundred times more powerful than yours—it can even contain the sky itself!"

The two small demons were immediately interested, though their faces showed disbelief.

"Old Immortal, don't brag. The sky is vast and boundless; how could it be put into a Magic Treasure? We don't believe you!"

"You don't believe me?" The Monkey King laughed loudly, immediately pulling a hair from his waist, blowing Immortal Qi onto it, and transforming it into a huge purple-gold red gourd.

"Watch closely, this is my Magic Treasure, called the Sky-Containing Gourd. Today, I will let you broaden your horizons!"

After saying this, the Monkey King secretly pinched a hand seal, chanted a mantra, and sent someone to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor, borrowing the Black Sculpture Banner to cover the sun, moon, and stars.

In an instant, the sky turned black, the sun and moon lost their light, and the world fell into darkness, as if it had truly been put into the gourd.

Upon seeing this, Jingxi Gui and Lingli Chong were so terrified that their souls flew away and spirits scattered, and they knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the Monkey King repeatedly.

"It really can contain the sky! The Old Immortal's Magic Treasure is too powerful; we are convinced!"

The Monkey King was secretly delighted but feigned calmness as he said.

"How is that? Is my Magic Treasure more powerful than yours? If you want it, I can use this Sky-Containing Gourd to trade for your two Magic Treasures."

The two small demons were overjoyed and, without thinking, hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"Trade! We will trade! To be able to trade for a Magic Treasure that can contain the sky, it is truly worth it!"

Immediately, the Monkey King handed the fake gourd made from his hair to the two small demons, easily swindling the real purple-gold red gourd and the sheep-fat jade purifying bottle, and tucked the two Magic Treasures into his robe.

The two small demons took the fake gourd and left happily, still thinking about returning to claim credit from their King.

The Monkey King watched the two small demons leave, laughed heartily, gripped the two Magic Treasures in his hands, and thought to himself.

"Wicked demons, now that your Magic Treasures have fallen into my hands, let's see how you can still be arrogant! I will head to Lotus Cave now, rescue Master and Junior Brother, and subdue you two demons!"