Aolai Country to the East, There is the Great Qin Dynasty's First Emperor!

"Cough, cough... I... No! I will send you back now!"

Sun Wukong stood with his hands behind his back. Now that he wished to establish a Demon Country and build an eternal foundation, to contend with the Heavenly Court and Buddhism for supremacy in the Primordial World, he needed to set rules!

These rules must first begin with "changing the way people address each other."

Now that he was king, he had to refer to himself as "Gu"!

After ascending the throne and declaring himself Emperor, he would refer to himself as "Zhen"!

This young girl was precisely the seventh princess of Aolai Country—Princess Aozi.

Ever since she was captured, she had wept daily, growing increasingly gaunt. At this moment, hearing the Monkey King wanted to send her home, a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes:

"Really? You won't eat me?"

Before her words had even fallen, her vision blurred. Her feet were already on a cloud, soaring. In an instant, she flew over mountains and rivers. When she opened her eyes again, she was safely back within the familiar corridors of the royal palace.

At this moment, the palace was in turmoil. Ever since the young princess was abducted, the old king had fallen into a deep melancholy, falling gravely ill. The court was in chaos, with the princes vying for power, and the kingdom teetering on the brink of collapse.

Seeing her father lying on the bed, his breath faint, Princess Aozi's heart felt as if it were being cut. She turned and knelt heavily at Sun Wukong's feet, tears streaming down her face:

"Great King, I beg you to save my father... If you are willing to help, Aozi will gladly serve you from now on, as your servant and maid, obeying your every command!"

Princess Aozi's gaze was resolute, her face filled with hope.

Having spent these past few days together, she had seen that although Sun Wukong was the King of Ten Thousand Demons, he possessed a chivalrous heart, was generous and magnanimous, and by no means a bloodthirsty creature.

Sun Wukong raised his eyes and blew a gentle breath. An invisible spiritual wind swept over the old king's body, instantly revitalizing him as if a withered tree had met spring.

In the blink of an eye, he was full of vigor. His white hair had darkened somewhat, and his complexion was as ruddy as a youth's.

Sun Wukong's Grand Unity immortal energy was enough to extend a mortal's lifespan by a hundred years!

The old king opened his eyes. Seeing his beloved daughter safely returned, and learning the cause and effect of the events, a mixture of gratitude and surprise overwhelmed him. He bowed to Sun Wukong:

"Divine Monkey above, please accept this humble king's bow. If not for the Divine Monkey's intervention, I fear I would have breathed my last today and never seen my beloved daughter again..."

Sun Wukong let out a hearty laugh, his voice as calm as a gentle breeze:

"A small matter, not worth mentioning. However, I... Gu has something I wish to discuss with the Lord of the Country?"

"Please, Divine Monkey, instruct me. This humble king will surely obey," the old king quickly bowed.

This Aolai Country was not small in territory, with a population exceeding ten million. It could be considered a medium-sized powerful nation in the Eastern Continent of Divine Sands.

Sun Wukong stood with his hands behind his back, his expression solemn:

"Under Gu, there are millions of demon subjects. I wish to establish a Demon Country centered around Flower-Fruit Mountain!"

"And your Aolai Country borders my Flower-Fruit Mountain. Gu wishes to form a brotherhood with Aolai Country, with me as the elder brother and you as the younger. From this day forward, Aolai Country will be protected by Flower-Fruit Mountain. What does the old King think?"

Hearing the casual mention of "millions of demon subjects," cold sweat broke out on the old king's back. He sighed inwardly, realizing this Divine Monkey was no ordinary being and absolutely not someone to offend!

"From this day forward, Aolai Country and Flower-Fruit Mountain shall become brother nations, with Flower-Fruit Mountain as the elder brother and Aolai Country as the younger. For generations to come, we shall aid each other. Whatever Flower-Fruit Mountain requires, Aolai Country shall do its utmost to provide, without daring to disobey."

"Brother Monkey, do you think this is acceptable?"

The old king's voice trembled, filled with reverence, and he nodded repeatedly.

Sun Wukong raised his eyebrows in satisfaction. His gaze shifted to Princess Aozi, his eyes holding a hint of approval and affection. He said slowly:

"Your sons are greedy for pleasure and incapable of great responsibility. Only this youngest daughter possesses a kind heart and a pure nature. In the future, she may inherit the throne and protect the peace of your people."

The old king's heart trembled. He secretly rejoiced that this young princess was indeed his most beloved child. He had intended for her to succeed him, but he worried about the obstruction from his ministers. Now that the Divine Monkey had spoken, who among those ministers would dare object?

"Brother Monkey's words are golden. This younger brother shall obey and will not disappoint Brother Monkey!"

Even though an alliance had been formed, the old king still felt both respect and fear towards Sun Wukong in his heart. Looking at the demon king before him, clad in a brocade robe and a golden crown, fine beads of cold sweat had formed on his forehead.

Since ancient times, humans and demons had walked different paths and harmed each other. Demons had eaten many humans, and human cultivators had slain many demons!

Although Aolai Country and Flower-Fruit Mountain had become allied nations today, the old king still felt fear in his heart.

Sun Wukong saw his apprehension, grinned, revealing his pearly white fangs, and tried to appear as gentle as possible:

"Lord of the Country, do not be alarmed. Although my Flower-Fruit Mountain gathers millions of demon subjects, we are different from other demons. I have already issued a strict order: all who join my ranks are forbidden from eating humans or bullying the weak. Those who violate this will be executed!"

The old king rejoiced upon hearing this, his complexion instantly improving. He cupped his hands in a salute, his voice trembling:

"If this is truly the case, Brother Monkey is truly bringing fortune to all beings, with immeasurable merit!"

Sun Wukong threw his head back and laughed, his laughter filled with a sense of heroism:

"I establish a Demon Country to bring eternal peace and achieve immortal deeds!"

His gaze was piercing, his voice like a great bell!

"From this day forward, my millions of demon subjects at Flower-Fruit Mountain will require regular supplies of food, meat, clothing, fabrics, salt, iron, and various other goods from your Aolai Country!"

"Of course, we at Flower-Fruit Mountain will purchase them at market prices!"

"Furthermore, Gu has one more request—Flower-Fruit Mountain needs to build schools. I ask that your Aolai Country send learned and talented individuals to my mountain to teach the demons, so they may learn to read and write, understand human etiquette and virtue, grasp righteousness and justice, and also learn various crafts, production, and farming skills!"

"If these million demon subjects can be educated, then from now on, the Demon Country and the Human Country can coexist, living in harmony as one family!"

Upon hearing this, everyone around exchanged glances, none daring to speak.

The old king listened, dumbfounded. After a long while, he let out a dry laugh and nodded:

"Brother Monkey has such aspirations; they are truly unprecedented. Though this humble king is untalented, I will certainly do my utmost to assist!"

Sun Wukong nodded, his cape fluttering slightly, his gaze sharp as he pondered.

These past few days, he had been thinking: among the myriad races of heaven and earth, why did only humankind develop the Human Dao?

Why could humankind establish a foothold and flourish amidst the surrounding monstrous beasts?

Why could the weak human race build empires for a hundred generations and establish foundations for ten thousand ages?

Why did humankind grow increasingly prosperous, gradually becoming the rulers of the Primordial World?

It was because humankind possessed culture, education, writing, and rites and laws, which gave them the power to unite.

With those above and below in accord, and those within and without supporting each other, they forged a grand and mighty force!

And the demon race? With their sharp fangs and bloody claws, engaging in slaughter and plunder, under the law of the jungle, they could only be kings unto themselves, forever unable to unify.

Only through unity!

Only through solidarity!

Only through laws!

Only through education!

Could the demon race be re-forged into a single rope to contend with the Heavenly Court, to battle Buddhism, to thrive eternally and never decline!

"I shall establish the first demon race academy on Flower-Fruit Mountain!"

Sun Wukong stood tall, speaking in a deep voice:

"I hope that in the future, every demon will be able to read and understand principles, know courtesy and righteousness, support the weak and suppress the strong, and watch over and help one another, no longer harming each other!"

"My wish is for Flower-Fruit Mountain to become a place where all demons in the world can find a home and establish their lives, a place of equality for all beings!"

His voice boomed like a great bell, shaking the hall, causing the candlelight to flicker and casting everyone's expressions into a daze.

The old king gazed at the untamed Monkey Demon, a sense of absurdity suddenly rising in his heart:

The world only spoke of the ferocity of demons, but how could they know that this demon king harbored aspirations far loftier than those of humans!

"Excellent! This humble king will do his best to fulfill Brother Monkey's ambition!"

"May this heart endure, and may future generations be free from worry."

The old king finally took a deep breath, bowed, and then said again:

"It is just that my Aolai Country is small and its people are weak. Even if I mobilize the entire nation's strength, I fear it will be difficult to provide for and educate these millions of demons!"

Hearing this, Sun Wukong frowned. After a moment of thought, he knew the ruler of Aolai Country was not shirking responsibility. Aolai Country had a population of only a little over ten million and was not wealthy itself; its productivity was indeed insufficient!

"In that case, does Your Majesty know of any more prosperous countries nearby?"

The old king replied without hesitation:

"The foremost powerful nation in the Eastern Continent of Divine Lands today is the Great Qin Dynasty!"

"Heading east from here, there is a city called Xianyang. In Xianyang, there is a First Emperor who destroyed the six states, unified the Eastern Continent, built the Great Wall, constructed imperial roads, and unified the script, weights, and measures!"

"If Brother Monkey can form an alliance with Great Qin, with the wealth of the Great Qin Dynasty, it will surely be able to help Flower-Fruit Mountain educate all the demons!"