We promised to develop a game of elimination, but what the hell is going on with Havoc in Heaven?

Holy crap, did something like that even actually happen?

[Haha, that's hilarious! Look at Steve Jobs' expression; he probably never expected this either.]

This is awkward!

[If it's Flower Fruit Mountain, I can only say, it's possible, very likely! Pfft.]

[The Great Sage Huang Feng: You used to beg to come to Flower Fruit Mountain to kill my men, and now you're inviting me to Flower Fruit Mountain?]

I'm just curious what Steve Jobs will do now; his campaign got off to a bad start, haha.

The viewers in the live stream burst into laughter upon hearing the conversation between the two, and the chat was flooded with comments.

After a two-second pause, Qiao Liang looked at Han Paopao with a twitching mouth.

Han Paopao covered his face, unable to bear the sight. He could only conclude that this was probably true; the players of Huaguo Mountain did indeed want to kill the invading monsters.

Qiao Liang and the others never interfered. After all, what was there to interfere with? What were the players supposed to do if they didn't kill monsters? Let them kill if they want; they weren't killing any local monsters.

Unexpectedly, the boomerang has now returned to him.

The Demon King remained silent upon hearing this. He mainly didn't know what to say. He had been a member of Flower Fruit Mountain for some time now, and he had never been able to understand the players' actions, so he had nothing to say and wasn't even surprised.

Qiao Liang was stunned for a few seconds, but soon a brilliant idea flashed into his mind and he came up with a solution.

"Ahem, it was an accident, it must have been an accident. We had no idea about this, King Huangfeng, please don't misunderstand," Qiao Liang said.

That's right, it's about pretending you don't know anything and acting like nothing happened.

In fact, they were completely unaware of it to begin with.

"Oh? An accident?" Upon hearing this, the Great Sage Yellow Wind still frowned and said, "I sent my men to your Flower Fruit Mountain, and they were killed. Do you really think you can just dismiss it as an accident?"

Huang Feng, the Great Sage, gripped his three-pronged steel fork and shouted sternly.

"This was indeed a mistake on our part at Flower Fruit Mountain, but it was not intentional. It was just a few minor demons. King Yellow Wind, do you really have to hold this against us? This time, Flower Fruit Mountain sincerely invited you to join us," Qiao Liang said.

"Hmph." Upon hearing this, the Great Sage Huang Feng snorted coldly, but said nothing more.

As Qiao Liang said, they were just a few minor demons. In this world, what demon king really cared? All they cared about was their own reputation.

Huaguo Mountain is now a sacred place for the demon race, and its power is known throughout the three realms.

As a wanted criminal from Mount Ling, Huang Feng Dasheng still had some ideas about Huaguo Mountain. If he could get the protection of Huaguo Mountain, then even if that guy Lingji Bodhisattva wanted to touch him, he would have to think twice.
"It's absolutely impossible for me to join Flower Fruit Mountain, but I would be very happy to form an alliance with you." After thinking for a moment, the Great Sage Huang Feng spoke again.

He was somewhat different from the Black Bear Spirit. Rather than going to Flower Fruit Mountain to be Sun Wukong's subordinate, he preferred to stay in Yellow Wind Ridge and be his own mountain king.

Even if Flower Fruit Mountain is indeed much better than Yellow Wind Ridge, how can being a subordinate be as comfortable as being your own king?

"An alliance? That's impossible." Qiao Liang refused without hesitation upon hearing this.

He knew perfectly well what the Great Sage Huang Feng was thinking.

What kind of alliance?
It's just a nominal alliance; they'll only be using the Flower and Fruit Mountain banner to carry out their activities after the alliance begins.

This alliance is incredibly fragile; if something really happens, the Great Sage Yellow Wind could easily tear it apart.

Simply put, the Great Sage Yellow Wind wanted the protection of Flower Fruit Mountain, but didn't want to fulfill his obligations.

How could Qiao Liang possibly agree?

Besides, who are the people who have allied with Flower Fruit Mountain these days?
Nezha, the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas!

Yang Jian, the True Lord Erlang of Guanjiang Estuary!
Leaving Nezha aside, it could even be said that he was with Yang Jian.

Just take Guanjiang Estuary as an example. There are the Seven Monsters of Meishan and a 1,200-strong army of grass-roots soldiers that are even more powerful than the heavenly soldiers and generals of the Heavenly Court.

Compared to Erlang Shen of Guanjiangkou, what does Huangfeng Dasheng have to offer?

While his own strength is decent, he also has obvious weaknesses. Once he has a magical treasure or supernatural power like the Wind-Fixing Pearl in the hands of Lingji Bodhisattva, the Great Sage Yellow Wind is like a toothless tiger, easily pushed over.

Besides, his subordinates were all mediocre and incompetent; not a single one of them was competent.

With this kind of strength, joining Huaguo Mountain is fine, but does he even deserve to form an alliance with Huaguo Mountain?

What are the current configurations of Huaguo Mountain?

The game features Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven; the Six Great Sages of the Demon Clan; the Four Mischievous Monkeys; the Black Bear Spirit; and hundreds of thousands of players led by Qiao Liang, Xiao Huohuo, and Han Paopao.

What makes the Great Sage Yellow Wind so special?
The Great Sage Huang Feng sensed Qiao Liang's contempt, and veins bulged on his forehead, but he didn't react. He simply snorted again, "Hmph, since that's the case, then we have nothing more to talk about."

Having said that, he gripped his three-pronged steel fork and headed towards Huangfeng Cave without looking back.

"Great King Huangfeng! You should think this through! The Heavenly Court will not tolerate you, and you have offended Mount Ling. If you do not join our Flower Fruit Mountain now, there will be no place for you in this world. Soon, my junior brother Sun Wukong and the Buddhists will pass through here. You don't need to say more about what will happen to you then." Qiao Liang said, watching the departing figure of Great Sage Huangfeng.

Upon hearing this, the Great Sage Huang Feng stopped and turned to look at Qiao Liang. His three-pronged steel fork pointed directly at him, and he began to unleash an extremely powerful aura. With a dark expression, he said, "Are you threatening me?"

Seeing the powerful aura emanating from Huang Feng, the Jiao Demon King, Qiao Liang, and Han Paopao also unleashed their own powerful auras, showing no fear whatsoever.

A terrifying aura swept across the yellow sand, and even the clouds in the sky were instantly dissipated.

Qiao Liang remained calm, his face full of smiles, and said, "No, I'm just stating a fact. To be honest, we are just like you. It's because the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect are too powerful that there is no place for demons to hide in the world."

That's why we wanted to bring some capable people back to Flower Fruit Mountain to strengthen our power, so that at least we would have the ability to protect ourselves if the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect wanted to attack us.

Yellow Wind Great Sage, although you are powerful and your Samadhi Divine Wind is incredibly strong, you should know that once Lingji Bodhisattva comes to find you with the Wind-Fixing Pearl, you will have no choice but to surrender without any power to resist, right?
We, Huaguo Mountain, are here precisely to prevent such things from happening.

These words struck a nerve with the Great Sage Yellow Wind, causing his eyes to flicker.

Qiao Liang pressed on, saying, "Don't worry, joining Huaguo Mountain will make you a part of the Huaguo Mountain King, but we don't have many restrictions. You can still be your mountain king. It's just that when Huaguo Mountain needs you, you'll need to lend a hand."

The Flood Dragon King chimed in from the side: "I can testify to this. Life on Flower Fruit Mountain is not only secure, but also very comfortable. With the Great Sage and some brothers around, let alone Bodhisattva Lingji, even if someone from the Heavenly Court or the Buddhist sect came, would they dare to attack the Heavenly Court without cause?"

Han Paopao retorted, "Huaguo Mountain has plenty to eat and drink, isn't that better than your Huangfeng Ridge, which is just a barren wasteland? And don't think that just because the Buddhist sect hasn't come looking for you, everything is fine. It's not that they haven't come looking for you, it's just that the time hasn't come yet."

The Yellow Wind Great Sage has been able to run rampant until now only because he has to overcome one of the eighty-one tribulations. Otherwise, the Buddhist sect could have subdued him with almost no effort.

Huang Feng the Great Sage fell silent, slowly lowering the steel fork in his hand. Even he had to admit that what Qiao Liang and the other two said made sense.

He looked around at the scene of yellow sand covering the Yellow Wind Ridge and was somewhat moved. His imposing aura gradually subsided, and he said, "Alright, let me think about it for a while before giving you Flower Fruit Mountain an answer."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Liang smiled and said, "Alright, we at Flower Fruit Mountain await the arrival of King Yellow Wind." He knew that since the Great Sage Yellow Wind had said so, the matter was basically settled; he just wouldn't say it outright out of politeness.

After Huang Feng Dasheng restrained his aura, the three of them also restrained their auras.

Although we are not afraid of the Yellow Wind Great Sage, success would naturally be the best outcome.

Before long, the Great Sage Yellow Wind also returned to Yellow Wind Cave.

The three bid farewell to the Great Sage Yellow Wind, as they still had to go and search for other monsters.

Holy crap! It actually worked?!

[What an amazing recruitment method! It's unbeatable!]

[What do you know? This is how you recruit! Chief Qiao is right. We're all monsters, so there's no need for formalities. Just be straightforward. Strength is the only true measure of success!]

Indeed, Steve Jobs was amazing.

[The Yellow Wind Monkey King is done, shouldn't we invite the Spider Cave next? Hahaha.]

If we follow the order of the eighty-one tribulations, ignoring the Flowing Sand River, shouldn't the next one be the Five Villages Temple?

The viewers in the live stream were also very excited watching the plot unfold.

Qiao Liang then led Han Paopao and Jiao Mowang to their next destination.

Of course, it's impossible to go to Wuzhuang Temple.

For them to go after Zhenyuan Daxian with their abilities is simply overestimating themselves. They should leave Zhenyuan Daxian to the Great Sage.

The group skipped Wuzhuang Temple altogether.

……

……

at the same time.

Lingshan.

Guanyin had already arrived at the Thunder Sound Hall and met with the Buddha.

She wanted to inform the Buddha about the Black Bear Spirit's journey to Mount Ling.

"Guanyin, I already know the purpose of your visit."

However, as Guanyin moved into the hall, before she could even speak...

The Buddha, seated high on the lotus throne, gently twirled his prayer beads with his fingertips, golden light slowly flowing around him, and then spoke.

Guanyin was not surprised to hear this, but nodded and asked, "Buddha, nowadays neither the Monkey King nor Flower Fruit Mountain are within the Heavenly Dao. In addition to those anomalies, I am worried that there may be unexpected changes on the journey to the west."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha sighed and said, "The variables have already appeared. After the monkey subdued the black bear spirit, those anomalies on Flower Fruit Mountain also went to subdue the Yellow Wind Great Sage. Not only that, they are even searching for other great demons."

"What?!" Guanyin Bodhisattva was shocked upon hearing this. She quickly calculated with her fingers and then understood what had happened.

She never expected that not only would her attempt to subdue the Black Bear Spirit go awry, but now Lingji's attempt to subdue the Yellow Wind Great Sage would also encounter an unexpected turn of events.

According to the original plan, the Great Sage Yellow Wind was supposed to cause trouble when Tang Sanzang passed by, and then be subdued by Bodhisattva Lingji. This was a predetermined cause and effect.

The thing Guanyin feared still happened; she just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

"Buddha, what should we do now?" Guanyin Bodhisattva asked with great concern.

The Buddha closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before finally saying, "The cause and effect are predetermined and cannot be forced. Since things have already happened, let them be. If Flower Fruit Mountain wants to gather demons, then let them gather. The demon races of the Three Realms have been scattered for too long. If they can truly unite as one, it may not be a bad thing."

Upon hearing this, Guanyin Bodhisattva's expression showed some surprise.

These monsters, when gathered together, pose a considerable threat to both the Heavenly Court and Buddhism. She never expected that the Buddha would allow it.

However, she quickly understood the Buddha's intention, and the Buddha continued:

"However, these outliers act without any rhyme or reason. If we allow them to continue interfering in the journey to the West, it may disrupt the entire pilgrimage plan. Moreover, while gathering demons is good, Flower Fruit Mountain is not a good place. A large number of powerful demons gathering on Flower Fruit Mountain may cause turmoil in the Three Realms."

"Therefore, Guanyin, you must go and stop Huaguo Mountain's next move," Buddha Tathagata instructed Guanyin, looking down at her.

"Disciple understands." Guanyin nodded upon hearing this.

She actually felt that they shouldn't let Flower Fruit Mountain continue like this any longer.

After bidding farewell to the Buddha, the nectar in Guanyin's jade bottle swayed gently, and she disappeared from the spot.

……

……

And at the same time.

On Qiao Liang's side, after leaving Huangfeng Ridge, the three of them entered the mortal realm of Wanzishan.

Unlike the endless yellow sand of Huangfengling, this place is lush with trees, but there is always a faint eerie aura in the forest, carrying a chill that keeps strangers away.

"This should be the territory of the Kui Mulang. Should we go find the Kui Mulang?" Han Paopao asked.

“There’s no need.” Qiao Liang replied directly, “Kui Mulang was once a star lord in the heavens, so it’s impossible for him to join Huaguo Mountain. Therefore, we don’t need to waste our time on him. Not only him, but also Laozi’s ox, Golden Horn and Silver Horn are the same.”

Qiao Liang knew these people all too well. Putting aside the pilgrimage team members like Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, these people were the least worth trying to win over.

Even if they really agreed to join Huaguo Mountain, Qiao Liang wouldn't dare to accept them, so naturally he had no intention of going to find them. In comparison, it would be much better to go find some other normal monsters.

"That makes sense." Han Paopao nodded. "So, what's next...?"

Qiao Liang immediately smiled and said, "I already have a plan for where to go next. Just follow me."

Who says you have to follow the order of the eighty-one tribulations to find monsters? Qiao Liang thought of a place where he had a high chance of successfully recruiting them, so he planned to go there first.

Seeing this, Han Paopao and Jiao Mowang naturally nodded and followed without any objection.

(End of this chapter)