Chapter 152: Primary Cultivation

Following the precedent set by the thunder eagle, no demon king dared to challenge Yuan Wuji’s majesty over the past few days. Yuan Wuji gladly enjoyed the peace, and having three fox maidens to "wait upon" him was an extraordinary experience.

However, Yuan Wuji did not let a single trace of his vital essence escape. In his own words, that would be an unnecessary waste.

Fox Three did not stay by Yuan Wuji’s side every single day. Although Yuan Wuji knew where Fox Three was heading, he chose not to pry too much.

The place where Fox Three currently resided was a massive palace, appearing far more majestic than the one assigned to Yuan Wuji. Inside the hall, Fox Three was not alone; the former second-in-command was also present, but sitting upon the throne at the very top was an unfamiliar face.

Judging from the atmosphere within the palace, he was the true ruler here.

Aside from these three, there were other demon kings in the hall. Not all of them were fox demons; other species were present as well, and their cultivation levels were all unfathomably deep.

"Fox Three, are you certain that the clan-protecting treasure originally pointed to the Divine Ape King?" The voice came from the ruler seated at the highest position.

"If Fox Three speaks a single falsehood, I am willing to accept any punishment," Fox Three replied with absolute certainty.

The demon kings of other lineages all wore gloomy expressions, making it impossible to discern their true inner thoughts.

"The clan-protecting treasure once pointed to the Bull Demon King as well, which indicates that he is also a highly probable choice for us. Furthermore, from every perspective, he appears far more exceptional than the Divine Ape King."

One of the demon kings voiced his opinion. They held no particular fondness for the Divine Ape King, who had seemingly materialized out of thin air over the years, and indeed, his reputation did not compare to that of the Bull Demon King.

"General Tiger speaks the truth, but I sense a terrifying aura emanating from the Divine Ape King. This Divine Ape King is likewise no simple character," the second-in-command said, stroking his beard.

Other demon kings began to express their views one after another. From their tone, it was evident that they were subordinates of Thunder Accumulation Mountain, filled with such terror toward the supreme ruler above that none of them dared to even glance upward.

As for the events transpiring here, none of the invited demon kings knew anything about them outside of those present—not even Yuan Wuji, as Fox Three certainly did not tell him everything.

Today, Yuan Wuji had no desire to indulge in the fox maidens. After playing with them for several days, he had already grown weary of their bodies.

***

"Upon returning to Moyun Cave, Fox Three has also started acting restless."

Yuan Wuji held his own thoughts in his heart. The arrangement of providing comfortable lodgings for the demon kings from various regions appeared thoughtful on the surface, but it was merely a prelude to the martial arts competition for marriage.

The closer one got to the center, the denser the spiritual energy became, complete with fox maidens to serve them. For those arrogant demon kings, why should the treatment they received be any worse than that of others? Moreover, Moyun Cave had explicitly stipulated that they would not intervene in any territorial disputes.

Any demon king with a brain could see right through the trap laid by Moyun Cave, yet there were always those willing to jump right into it. Moyun Cave had successfully exploited their vanity and competitive nature, making them fight among themselves first—this was Moyun Cave's open and undeniable strategy.

From what Yuan Wuji understood, quite a few demon kings had already been severely injured over fighting for palaces, rendering them unable to continue participating in the upcoming martial arts competition. By the time the tournament truly began, probably only half of the demon kings would be able to participate, and likely two-thirds of that remaining half would already be nursing heavy injuries.

As for the final third of the demon kings, some had chosen to preserve their strength and forgo the struggle for palaces, while others possessed overwhelming power that made neighboring demon kings too terrified to offend them.

"That's my second brother, and the Macaque King."

Yuan Wuji had originally intended to merely observe the nearby battlefields from outside the hall, but to his surprise, he spotted the figures of the Flood Dragon King and the Macaque King not far away.

The two demons were currently joining forces to take on another demon king, and from the look of things, they were right in the middle of a territorial tussle.

That particular demon king was a bear spirit. Judging by the aura radiating from the bear spirit, Yuan Wuji deduced that he possessed the cultivation of a complete single element. Facing the joint assault of the Flood Dragon King and the Macaque King, the bear spirit was handling it with ease, leaving the two brothers under immense pressure, let alone defeating him.

"Why on earth do the two of them still dare to keep fighting this bear spirit?"

From Yuan Wuji's perspective, it was only a matter of time before the Flood Dragon King and the Macaque King lost to the bear spirit. Under the bear spirit's fierce onslaught, the two demons were retreating step by step, yet they stubbornly gritted their teeth and persisted.

Puzzled by this, Yuan Wuji could not help but fly toward them. Upon drawing closer, he finally realized their true intentions.

"So Tiger Baisheng is hidden in the shadows as well."

As Yuan Wuji approached, he sensed Tiger Baisheng’s distinct aura, though Tiger Baisheng completely failed to notice Yuan Wuji's approach.

***

Yuan Wuji, who had originally intended to step in, halted his advance. He wanted to see how they planned to defeat the bear spirit.

The cultivation levels of all three demons were at the Taiyi Loose Immortal realm, and none of them had achieved perfection in a single element. The bear spirit, however, had already attained the realm of elemental perfection.

Although they were all in the Taiyi Loose Immortal realm, the gap in power was colossal. Achieving perfection in a single element not only allowed one to unleash the utmost potential of that specific attribute, but it also enabled the linkage to the next element. Once the linkage was completed, even a perfected attribute would continue to grow stronger alongside the advancement of the subsequent attribute.

Furthermore, the very first perfected element was referred to as the primary cultivation. By the time one reached the perfection of all five elements, the most powerful aspect would always be that initial primary element. During the course of cultivation, this first element would undergo a total of five enhancements—its might was truly formidable.

The Macaque King possessed the wind attribute, the Flood Dragon King possessed the water and fire attributes, and Tiger Baisheng hiding in the shadows possessed the metal attribute. Logically speaking, Tiger Baisheng’s attacks were the strongest among the three demons, and perhaps he stood a chance of injuring the bear spirit.

Yuan Wuji also wished to witness what level Tiger Baisheng’s strength had reached. To serve as the turning point of this battle, he undoubtedly possessed extraordinary means.

On the battlefield, as time ticked away, the Macaque King and the Flood Dragon King were finding it increasingly difficult to hold on. The Macaque King relied on the speed of his wind attribute to dodge the bear spirit's attacks, but the Flood Dragon King was at a distinct disadvantage, having already taken three direct blows from the bear spirit.

"Then let's finish you off first!"

Realizing he could not hit the Macaque King while the Flood Dragon King was already injured, the bear spirit decided to eliminate the Flood Dragon King first before dealing with the Macaque King.

"Bear spirit, if you know what's good for you, hand over this palace right now! Otherwise, the Seven Sages of Flower-Fruit Mountain will soon gather right outside your doorstep!" The Macaque King attempted to intimidate the bear spirit using the formidable reputations of the Bull Demon King and the others, but the bear spirit clearly wasn't buying it.

"Ha! The Seven Sages of Flower-Fruit Mountain? You mean the one dragged away by the Heavenly Court, and the one pinned under Five Elements Mountain by Buddhism? There are only five left, and none of them dared to go rescue their brothers. With a pathetic lot like that, you still try to use them to scare old bear me? You'd be better off rolling back home!"

The bear spirit mocked derisively. The events that had transpired on Flower-Fruit Mountain back then were known to every single living being in the demon realm. While they admired Sun Wukong's backbone, they held utter disdain for the collective title of the Seven Sages of Flower-Fruit Mountain.