Inside Yellow Wind Cave

Demonic energy hung thick inside Yellow Wind Cave.

Though Tiger Vanguard had suffered some injuries, he was in extremely high spirits.

With the Red Copper Saber slung over his shoulder, he directed a band of lesser demons carrying the tightly bound Xuanzang and swaggered into the cave dwelling.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I've done you a great service!"

The moment Tiger Vanguard entered, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I've caught a tender-skinned monk for Your Majesty! He's none other than the Pilgrim from the Great Tang in the Eastern Land!"

Deep inside the cave, Great King Yellow Wind sat high on a stone throne. At these words, his strange eyes snapped open, gleaming like golden lamps.

The old demon wore a golden helmet that dazzled in the sun and golden armor that gathered the light. The plume on his helmet fluttered like flames, and a richly patterned hide covered his seat. Though he was not tall, an unfathomable evil aura seeped from him.

"The Pilgrim?"

Great King Yellow Wind frowned. Rather than showing delight, he looked startled and suspicious. "How do you know he's the Pilgrim?"

Great King Yellow Wind's voice was grave as he questioned him.

Tiger Vanguard said smugly, "Down by the hillside just now, a pig demon with a long snout and big ears was cursing as he fought, saying his master was a holy monk from the Great Tang. When I heard that, I knew I'd found a rare prize, so I used a trick to capture him."

Hearing this, the cave master exclaimed in alarm, "I've heard it said that Master Sanzang is a divine monk sent by imperial decree from the Great Tang to fetch the scriptures. He has a disciple named Pilgrim Sun, whose powers are vast and whose wits are formidable. How could you possibly have captured him?"

Tiger Vanguard replied, "He has two disciples. The first wielded a Nine-Toothed Rake and had a long snout and big ears. The other wielded a golden-banded Iron Cudgel and had Fiery Golden Eyes. While they were fighting me, I used Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell to slip away, seized this monk, and brought him here as an offering to Your Majesty."

Far from rejoicing, Great King Yellow Wind stamped his foot and sighed deeply. "Disaster! Disaster! Five hundred years ago, Sun Wukong wreaked Havoc in Heaven, and even a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers couldn't capture him! Why did you provoke that walking calamity?"

He turned and looked with complicated feelings at Xuanzang, who had been pushed into the hall below.

Xuanzang was no longer tightly bound, merely surrounded by several lesser demons. He straightened his slightly disheveled robes, his expression composed and utterly free of panic.

Great King Yellow Wind paced back and forth inside the cave, his eyes gloomy. "What if that monkey comes storming up to our door? Hold off for now..."

He pointed toward the Wind-Suppressing Pillar in the rear garden and barked at the lesser demons beside him:

"Take him to the rear garden and tie him to the Wind-Suppressing Pillar! Guard him well! Wait three to five days, and we'll see which way the wind blows!"

Just as he was speaking-

"Report-!!"

A mountain-patrolling demon came scrambling into the cave, terror written all over his face.

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!!"

"A monk with a hairy face and a Thunder God's mouth has come to the gate, along with a pig-headed monk with a long snout and big ears! The hairy one smashed our mountain gate to pieces with a single blow of his cudgel! The fat monk is standing outside with a rake, cursing our mothers!!"

Great King Yellow Wind's face darkened. He glared fiercely at Tiger Vanguard. "Look what you've done!"

Tiger Vanguard shrank back under that glare, but his temper was violent, and his ferocity had been roused. He gritted his teeth and said:

"Don't worry, Your Majesty! Since I caused this trouble, I'll go settle it myself! Once I slaughter those two disciples, we can eat Tang Sanzang's flesh just the same!"

Without waiting for the king's orders, Tiger Vanguard mustered fifty elite demon soldiers, grabbed the Red Copper Saber, and charged out of the cave with wild cries.

Outside Yellow Wind Cave, shattered stones littered the ground.

Sun Wukong rested the Golden Cudgel on his shoulder, one foot planted on a boulder, his Fiery Golden Eyes fixed on the cave entrance.

Zhu Bajie stood beside him, panting and gripping the Nine-Toothed Rake. His little eyes were wide and round as he cursed:

"Come out! You skinless bastard, come out and face Old Pig! I'll peel off your tiger hide and make myself a seat cushion!"

"Roar-!!"

With a roar, Tiger Vanguard charged out, leading a band of lesser demons.

"What wild boar spirit dares cause trouble at your Grandpa Tiger's gate?!"

When enemies met, their eyes burned all the redder.

"Wild boar spirit?"

Zhu Bajie sneered. The fat all over his body quivered as his demonic energy erupted.

"Open those dog eyes of yours and take a good look! I'm Marshal Tianpeng, descended to the mortal world! Today, I'll teach you mountain beast just how high the heavens are and how thick the earth is!"

"Brother Monkey! Stay out of this!"

Zhu Bajie roared, "This bastard is mine! Nobody gets to steal him from me!"

Sun Wukong had already raised his cudgel. At those words, he arched an eyebrow and chuckled. He actually lowered his weapon, stepped back, and folded his arms to watch.

"Well done, you oaf! You've got spirit! If you kill this demon, I'll acknowledge you as my second junior brother."

Zhu Bajie roared in fury. This time, he truly put his life on the line.

He sprang into the air, his cumbersome body suddenly as light as a swallow. The Nine-Toothed Rake blazed with golden light and came crashing down toward his enemy's head with the force of ten thousand tons.

Tiger Vanguard raised his saber to block.

Clang-!!

A tremendous crash rang out, sending sparks flying.

This time, Zhu Bajie held nothing back. Marshal Tianpeng's divine strength poured forth without restraint.

Tiger Vanguard felt an immense force surge through the saber's shaft and into his entire body. His arms instantly went numb, the webs between his thumbs and forefingers split, and blood streamed out. Horror seized him. Was this pig demon hiding his strength earlier? How did he become so much stronger?

"Again!!"

Zhu Bajie pressed his advantage without mercy, each swing of his rake faster and heavier than the last.

He cursed as he fought:

"This blow is for my master!"

"This blow is for A-Hu!"

"And this blow... is for me, your grandpa! That's for tricking me! For using a fake hide! For calling me a wild boar spirit!"

Tiger Vanguard was driven back step by step, barely able to parry and utterly unable to strike back.

"Die!!"

Spotting an opening, Zhu Bajie bellowed and hooked his rake sharply downward, catching Tiger Vanguard squarely in the ankle.

"Aah!!"

Tiger Vanguard screamed, lost his footing, and fell to the ground with a thud.

Before he could get up, Zhu Bajie planted his huge foot hard on his chest.

"Run, will you? Go on, let your grandpa see you run again!"

His eyes bloodshot, Zhu Bajie raised the Nine-Toothed Rake high.

Staring at the rake's coldly gleaming teeth, Tiger Vanguard finally showed fear. "Spare me... spare..."

"Spare you, my ass!"

Squelch!

The Nine-Toothed Rake slammed down, striking the tiger's head dead center.

Blood sprayed.

Tiger Vanguard, who had lorded over his corner of Yellow Wind Ridge, did not even have time to scream. The rake punched nine bloody holes into him, killing him on the spot and revealing his true form-a huge, skinless tiger, a mangled mass of flesh and blood.

Zhu Bajie pulled out his rake.

Breathing heavily, he looked at the corpse on the ground and spat viciously.

"Pah! You couldn't take a beating at all!"

The surrounding lesser demons were already scared witless. When they saw their vanguard killed, they cried out, threw aside their helmets and armor, and fled into the cave, wailing for their fathers and mothers.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Disaster! The pig-headed monk has beaten the vanguard to death!"

Sun Wukong walked over, patted Zhu Bajie on the shoulder, and gave him a rare thumbs-up.

"Well done, junior brother! You've made Old Sun proud this time! A fine fight!"

Zhu Bajie wiped his face and chuckled foolishly. "You flatter me, Brother Monkey. Mostly, I had anger bottled up inside, and I couldn't rest until I let it out."