That day, auspicious clouds swirled over Flower-Fruit Mountain, whose golden splendor drew demons from far and wide.
Sun Wukong hosted a grand feast for the demons, holding a dragon-slaying banquet that shook the world!
At the summit of Flower-Fruit Mountain, over a hundred enormous bronze cauldrons stood in neat rows. Flames roared inside them, and the savory aroma of dragon meat shot straight into the heavens!
Sun Wukong had used a full hundred True Dragon corpses. Their fragrance rode the mountain breeze and spread across the land.
The feast brought together the most powerful rulers of the demon races.
The six great Demon Kings: Bull Demon King, Flood Dragon Demon King, Great Roc Demon King, Lion Camel King, Macaca Monkey King, and King Yurong...
There were also the leaders of the various races: Cat Demon Chief Rainbow Cat, Rabbit Demon Leader Blue Rabbit, Panda Valley Master Gungun, and Tiger Clan Leader Black Heart Tiger...
Of course, Sun Wukong's four trusted generals stood in two ranks at his sides—Marshals Ma and Liu, and Generals Beng and Ba.
Two of them were Red-tailed Macaque Monkeys, and the other two were Long-armed Ape Monkeys. They had followed Sun Wukong ever since he became the Handsome Monkey King. They were, without question, his most trusted confidants!
By now, the air was thick with the aroma of dragon meat. The demons lounged or sat, their eyes gleaming green and their mouths watering.
Sun Wukong lifted a jar of Dragon Blood Wine and stood atop the high platform, his gaze blazing like fire.
"Now that I've subdued the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas and the dragon clan pays tribute, there'll be dragon corpses like these every year from now on!"
At his words, the demons erupted. Their cheers shook the trees!
"Handsome Monkey King is mighty!"
"Great King is mighty! Under your leadership, our demon race will grow stronger and achieve even greater glory!"
"Our Great King slew the Spirit Mountain Bodhisattvas with two punches and subdued the dragon clan of the Four Seas. He's the pride of every demon!"
"Long live the Great King! Long live the Handsome Monkey King!"
Their roars rolled like thunder, shattering the clouds!
Just then, Bull Demon King, seated at the head of the right-hand row, set down the dragon bone he'd been gnawing on. He rose to his feet, eyes shining.
"Great King, I have something to say. May I speak frankly?"
Sun Wukong's gaze shifted to him, stern yet amused.
"Bull Demon King, speak your mind!"
Bull Demon King strode into the center of the gathering and knelt on one knee. His voice boomed like a bell.
"Great King, Flower-Fruit Mountain now commands the Four Seas, and all the demons are united behind you. Why not seize this moment to establish our capital here, found a demon kingdom, and build a demon court? Then we can stand as equals with the emperors of the human realm and the gods and Buddhas of the heavens!"
"The Great King is the ruler of all demons, and the king of Demon Kings. The title Handsome Monkey King no longer befits your status!"
"You should ascend the throne and become the Great Emperor of the demon kingdom!"
At these words, the demons stared in surprise for a moment, then burst into an uproar!
"Bull Demon King is right!"
"Exactly! If the demon race is to stop humans from driving us out and immortals and Buddhas from bullying us, we must unite and establish a new demon kingdom!"
"Let Flower-Fruit Mountain be our demon capital, and the Handsome Monkey King our Demon Emperor! We'll establish a new kingdom and stand as equals with the gods!"
On the high platform, Sun Wukong stood with his hands behind his back, his flame-bright gaze sweeping over the gathering.
After a moment, Sun Wukong suddenly burst out laughing. His laughter echoed through the mountains.
"Found a demon kingdom and ascend the throne!"
"That's exactly what I intend to do!"
"I'll lead the demon race back to glory!"
"If any god or Buddha dares defy me, I'll beat them until they submit!"
At Sun Wukong's declaration, the demons erupted.
"Long live! Long live!"
"Long live the demon kingdom! Long live the Great Emperor!"
Their cries shook the clouds. Ten thousand demons roared as all of Flower-Fruit Mountain trembled.
Just then, a Tiger Demon clad in a black-spotted tiger pelt, his face twisted into a ferocious scowl, dragged a young woman before Sun Wukong and threw her to the ground.
The young woman was beautiful as a painting, with brows like distant hills and eyes like autumn waters. Her long black hair fell smoothly down her back like a flowing curtain of night.
She wore a brocade gown edged with golden thread. She was clearly no ordinary girl from a common household.
The Tiger Demon was none other than Black Heart Tiger, leader of the Tiger Clan. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head, seeking praise.
"Congratulations, Great Emperor, on founding the demon kingdom!"
"This young lady is the Ninth Princess of Aolai Country. She was raised in luxury, and her skin is delicate."
With that, he pushed the girl forward as if presenting a prized treasure.
"I captured her yesterday and brought her here as a gift for the Great Emperor. I hope you like her."
The young woman looked around at the monsters and demons crowding the hall. Terrified, she burst into tears and cried out desperately.
"Wuwuwu... Don't eat me! My father is the ruler of Aolai Country, and we're very wealthy. If you let me go, we can give you anything you want..."
Her pitiful cries only made the demons more excited. They swallowed hungrily, their eyes flashing with bloodlust.
But just then, Sun Wukong—usually kind and mild, never given to anger—suddenly turned as cold as iron from the depths of an abyss.
It was common for demons to eat people!
Back when Sun Wukong was the Handsome Monkey King, he had eaten humans too. But after attaining immortality, he had never eaten human flesh again!
He had even strictly forbidden the demons of Flower-Fruit Mountain from eating people!
That was because his master, Daoist Lingxuan, had been the first human-shaped spirit born from chaos!
And the human race had been created by Nuwa after she encountered Zhou Xuan's spirit in the chaos. Using his appearance as a model, she had shaped them from Nine Heavens Breathing Soil and Three Lights Divine Water!
Out of respect for his master, Sun Wukong would never eat a human again!
Besides, Sun Wukong had great ambitions!
He wasn't going to establish a cruel, bloodthirsty demon kingdom that slaughtered living beings!
He would lead a million demons, establish a kingdom, bring peace for generations, and lay an immortal foundation!
Sun Wukong would become the greatest Demon King under heaven—and usher in an age of prosperity for the demon race!
"From this day forward, no demon of Flower-Fruit Mountain may eat humans! Anyone who breaks this rule will be killed without mercy!"
His voice was not loud, but it rang out like thunder. The demons exchanged glances and fell instantly silent, cowed into stillness.
"Moreover, from now on, no living being that has gained sentience may be slaughtered and eaten!"
"Spread this order throughout Flower-Fruit Mountain at once. Anyone unwilling to obey may leave of their own accord within three days. If any demon who stays dares break the rule, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Sun Wukong's voice was as cold as a frosty blade. Once he had finished his declaration, he helped the trembling Ninth Princess to her feet and strode away. The wind howled, and the demons fell utterly silent, watching him leave with complicated expressions.
Three days later, as expected, only a handful of stubborn demons chose to leave Flower-Fruit Mountain. Most stayed.
Flower-Fruit Mountain was rugged, rich in spiritual energy, and protected by Sun Wukong. With a powerful guardian and no shortage of food or drink, who would willingly leave?
Besides, human flesh wasn't all that special. Giving it up was hardly a great loss.
Still, Sun Wukong knew that changing the demon race's old habit of eating humans would take more than a day or two.
These demons were naturally free-spirited and unruly. They obeyed for now only because he kept them in check. Given enough time, disorder was bound to arise.
But every family needed rules, and every kingdom needed laws!
To establish a demon kingdom, there had to be a proper system of rules and restraints!
Otherwise, this so-called kingdom would be nothing but a loose collection of people!
But he wasn't in a hurry. Demons lived long lives, and as long as he had enough time, he believed he could build the prosperous kingdom of his dreams!
With that thought, he looked down at the young princess before him, her face streaked with tears, and said calmly,
"Miss, I... Ahem. I'll take you back to Aolai Country."
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