Chapter 982
Gathering More Intelligence
“Alright.” Chu Yang nodded. “Then I’ll transform into an ordinary little demon, small and inconspicuous, so I won’t attract the attention of other demons and it will be easier to gather information. You, on the other hand, should transform into a slightly stronger little demon, preferably one that can get close to the three great demon kings. This way, you can gather more important information, such as their weaknesses and their plans.”
“No problem!” Sun Wukong grinned. “I, Old Sun, will transform into a patrolling little demon, strong and capable, to patrol freely in Lion Camel Ridge, gather intelligence, and easily get close to the three great demon kings to learn about their backgrounds.”
“Alright, let’s start transforming now,” Chu Yang said. “Remember, after transforming into a little demon, you must conceal your aura and not reveal your true identity. You must also imitate the tone of a little demon when you speak, and you must not give yourself away.”
"Don't worry! I know!" Sun Wukong nodded, raised his hand and made a hand seal, chanting incantations. A wisp of green smoke flashed by, and Sun Wukong's figure gradually changed. His original height became shorter, his body was covered with black fur, and his face became ferocious. He also had a long knife in his hand. He looked like an ordinary patrolling demon, exactly the same as the demons of Lion Camel Ridge, without any flaws.
Chu Yang also raised his hand and made a hand seal. A wisp of green smoke flashed by, and his figure gradually changed. He became thin and small, with dark skin and a faint scar on his face. He was dressed in a tattered little demon outfit and held a wooden stick in his hand. He looked very inconspicuous, like a lowly little demon who would not be noticed if thrown into a pile of little demons.
"Hahaha, Brother Chu Yang, the little demon you transformed into is too insignificant, practically just a small fry!" Sun Wukong couldn't help but laugh as he looked at Chu Yang's appearance, mimicking the little demon's tone in a gruff voice.
Chu Yang mimicked the little demon's tone and whispered, "Don't laugh! We're here to gather intelligence, not to joke around! The more inconspicuous you are, the less likely you are to attract the attention of the demons, and the more smoothly you can gather information. The same goes for you. Transform into a patrolling little demon, and make sure you look like you're on patrol. Don't give yourself away."
"I know, I know!" Sun Wukong waved his hand, still speaking in his gruff tone. "I, Old Sun, will be careful! We'll sneak into Lion Camel Ridge now, split up to gather intelligence, and agree to meet up in the pine forest at the foot of Lion Camel Ridge in an hour to exchange information."
"Okay, it's settled then." Chu Yang nodded. "Be careful. If you encounter danger, don't linger in the fight. Get away immediately, and we'll meet up in the pine forest."
"Don't worry! I, Old Sun, am all-powerful, nothing will happen!" Sun Wukong grinned, turned around and flew towards the gate of Lion Camel Ridge. As he flew, he imitated the patrolling demons, humming a nasty tune. He looked very realistic.
Chu Yang took a deep breath, concealed his aura, and walked towards the gate of Lion Camel Ridge. He walked slowly, his steps faltering, looking like a tired little demon, cautiously approaching the gate.
The gate to Lion Camel Ridge is magnificent, constructed of black rock and towering several meters high. Above the gate are carved the three large characters "Lion Camel Ridge," their ferocious strokes exuding a sinister and terrifying aura. On either side of the gate stand two tall demons, both with blue faces and fangs, wielding enormous long swords, their vigilant expressions and fierce eyes sending chills down one's spine.
Sun Wukong, disguised as a patrolling demon, swaggered to the mountain gate, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two guarding demons, and said in a gruff voice, "Brothers, thank you for your hard work! I'm from the patrol team, here to relieve you on duty. You can go and rest now."
The two gatekeeper demons looked Sun Wukong up and down. They noticed his patrol demon uniform, the long knife in his hand, and his tone of voice. He seemed exactly like any other patrol demon, without any flaws. One of the gatekeeper demons said gruffly, "So you're the brother who's changing shifts. You've worked hard! This mountain gate is yours now. We're going to rest."
"Alright! Don't worry!" Sun Wukong waved his hand, a ferocious smile spreading across his face, mimicking the little demon's tone, "With me here, I guarantee no strangers will be allowed to enter Lion Camel Ridge!"
The two gatekeeper demons nodded, turned, and walked towards the back of the mountain gate, their figures quickly disappearing into the gloomy passage. Sun Wukong watched the direction the two gatekeeper demons disappeared in, a slight smile playing on his lips, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. Then, pretending to be on patrol, he leisurely walked into the mountain gate.
Behind the mountain gate was a wide passageway. On both sides of the passageway stood rows of small demons, each with a blue face and fangs, holding weapons, their expressions wary, their eyes fierce, creating a very sinister and terrifying atmosphere. The ground of the passageway was paved with black stones, stained with some dark red blood, emitting a faint bloody smell that made one want to vomit.
Sun Wukong strolled along leisurely, pretending to patrol, while his eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, observing the arrangement of the lesser demons on both sides of the passage. At the same time, he was also keeping an eye on the surrounding movements and gathering intelligence. He saw that there was a lesser demon every ten steps or so on both sides of the passage, each with a vigilant expression and a tight guard. It seemed that the defense of Lion Camel Ridge was indeed very tight.
"Hey! You on patrol, hurry up! Stop dawdling!" A tall little demon shouted gruffly at Sun Wukong. This little demon was dressed in more gorgeous clothes than the other little demons, and looked like a little leader.
Sun Wukong immediately stopped, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the minor leader, and said in a gruff voice, "I dare not! I'll leave now! I'll leave now!" As he spoke, he quickened his pace, pretending to be frightened, but in his heart he was secretly calculating: This minor leader seems to be of high status. Perhaps I can get some important information out of him.
He followed behind the petty leader, walking slowly, and casually asked, "Boss, I have a question I'd like to ask you."
The leader turned and glared at Sun Wukong, saying impatiently, "What's the problem? Speak quickly! Don't dawdle, or you'll delay important matters, or I'll skin you alive!" Sun Wukong quickly lowered his head, feigning fear, and whispered, "Yes, yes, yes! I wouldn't dare delay important matters! I just wanted to ask, has anything major happened at Lion Camel Ridge lately? I see all the brothers are on high alert; is some enemy coming?"
The minor leader snorted and said, "You're quite clever, kid! But don't ask what you shouldn't! Be careful what you say! Our Lion Camel Ridge is guarded by three great demon kings, and we have 48,000 lesser demons under our command. Even if enemies come, they'll just be offering themselves up to die! However, recently, the kings have indeed ordered us to strengthen our defenses. They say a group of monks traveling west will pass through our Lion Camel Ridge, and the kings want to capture that Tang Sanzang, eat his flesh, and increase their magical power!"
Sun Wukong's heart skipped a beat, but he still pretended to be afraid and whispered, "So that's how it is! Is Tang Sanzang really that powerful? Can eating his flesh increase one's magical power?"
"Of course!" the leader said smugly. "You little brat, you're so ignorant! That Tang Sanzang is the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi. He has cultivated for ten lifetimes and hasn't lost a single drop of his primordial yang. Eating a piece of his flesh will grant you immortality and increase your magical power by a thousand years! Our kings have been eyeing him for a long time, just waiting for him to come to us so we can devour him whole!"
"My goodness! That's amazing!" Sun Wukong feigned surprise. "So, are our kings all ready? Are they just waiting for Tang Sanzang to arrive?"
"Of course!" The leader nodded. "The three demon kings have been prepared for a long time. They have deployed lesser demons at every intersection of Lion Camel Ridge, laying a net so tight that if Tang Sanzang dares to come, he will have no chance of escape! Moreover, the kings have ordered that as soon as Tang Sanzang is captured, he should be immediately sent to the main hall to be dealt with personally by the three demon kings. No one is allowed to touch Tang Sanzang without authorization; otherwise, they will be killed without exception!"
Sun Wukong nodded, secretly noting down the information, and then casually asked, "Boss, just how powerful are our three great demon kings? I heard that the Green-haired Lion King can swallow 100,000 heavenly soldiers in one gulp, the Yellow-toothed Elephant King is incredibly strong, and the Golden-winged Roc King is extremely fast. Is that true?"
The minor leader, his face filled with admiration, said, “Of course! Our three great demon kings are all incredibly powerful and possess boundless magical abilities! The Green-Haired Lion King is the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva, capable of swallowing 100,000 heavenly soldiers in one gulp—he’s incredibly powerful; the Yellow-Toothed Elephant King is the mount of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, his trunk can lift mountains—he’s incredibly strong; and the Golden-Winged Roc King is the maternal uncle of the Buddha, his wings can travel 90,000 li with a single flap—he’s extremely fast, even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, is no match for him!”
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's heart sank. He hadn't expected the Golden-Winged Roc to be so powerful, even surpassing his own somersault cloud. He continued, "Chief, do our three demon kings have any weaknesses? For example, what are they afraid of, or what are their vulnerabilities?"
The leader's expression changed, and he shouted at Sun Wukong, "You brat, are you looking for death? How dare you inquire about the weaknesses of the kings! The kings are all-powerful, what weaknesses could they possibly have? If you dare to spout nonsense again, I'll kill you with one blow!"
Sun Wukong quickly lowered his head, feigning fear, and repeatedly apologized: "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Boss, I was wrong! I will never dare to talk nonsense again! I will never dare to inquire about the weaknesses of the kings again! Please forgive me!"
The foreman snorted coldly and said, "Hmph, you're smart to know what's good for you! Remember, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and don't say what you shouldn't say. Just patrol properly and do your job, or you'll lose your life!"
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll remember! I'll patrol diligently and do my job well. I won't dare to say another word!" Sun Wukong nodded hurriedly, a look of fear on his face. But in his heart, he was secretly calculating: It seems that this little leader doesn't know much either. Moreover, the weaknesses of the three great demon kings are very well hidden and not easy to find out. I can only find other little demons to gather more information.
The minor leader glared at Sun Wukong, then turned and continued walking forward, constantly berating the other lesser demons. He seemed extremely arrogant. Sun Wukong followed behind him, continuing to pretend to patrol, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, observing the layout of Lion Camel Ridge, while also searching for other lesser demons, trying to gather more information.
Meanwhile, Chu Yang, disguised as a small, thin demon, successfully entered Lion Camel Ridge. Unlike Sun Wukong, who disguised himself as a patrolling demon, he acted as a cleaning demon, carrying a broom and strolling slowly, sweeping and gathering information simultaneously. He was small and wore tattered clothes, making him quite inconspicuous. The patrolling demons didn't notice him at all; only occasionally did a few impatiently scold him, telling him to hurry up and stop dawdling.
While pretending to clean, Chu Yang kept scanning his surroundings, observing the layout of Lion Camel Ridge. He discovered that the interior of Lion Camel Ridge was much larger than he had imagined, with many palaces and caves. The palaces were all built of black stone, eerie and terrifying. From the caves, the faint roars of lesser demons could be heard, sending chills down one's spine. Lesser demons patrolled every entrance to Lion Camel Ridge, maintaining a tight security perished. Moreover, there were many traps; one could easily fall into one and be smashed to pieces.
He strolled leisurely to a palace, more magnificent and splendid than the others. Two tall, wary demons stood guard at the palace entrance. It seemed this palace was the residence of the three great demon kings. Chu Yang's heart stirred; he wanted to approach the palace to gather more information, but the two demons at the entrance were so vigilant that he couldn't get close.
Just then, a little demon dressed in gray attire, carrying a tray, walked towards the palace entrance. On the tray were some wine and food, seemingly for the three demon kings. Chu Yang's eyes lit up, and he quickly followed, pretending to clean, and followed behind the little demon, slowly approaching the palace entrance.
"Stop! What are you doing?" The two little demons at the door shouted at Chu Yang, their eyes fierce, and they raised their long knives slightly, looking wary.
Chu Yang quickly stopped, lowered his head, and pretended to be frightened, saying in a low voice, "Replying to you two brothers, I... I was just responsible for cleaning. I'll leave now, I won't disturb you two any longer!" (End of this chapter)