Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

Unbeknownst to them, Wukong had quietly circled behind the Dragon King, his golden cudgel subtly raised, and he sneered, "Exactly! My senior brother just wanted to broaden his horizons, but you've made all sorts of excuses. Do you look down on us brothers?"

The Dragon King felt a chill run down his spine, and cold sweat poured down his back. He knew that the slightest misstep in his words could bring about his death, so he quickly waved his hand:

"No, no! Immortal, you misunderstand. How could we not enter the treasure vault? Please follow me..."

Despite his deep reluctance, he could only force himself to lead the two back to the Crystal Palace, given the vast difference in their strength.

After traversing the palaces, they finally stopped in front of a side hall. Two crab generals, both of whom had already entered the path of immortality, stood guard at the entrance. Ye Feng glanced at them and immediately understood.

The Dragon King ordered the guards to open the gate, and in an instant, radiant light surged and precious energy billowed forth.

Wukong stared intently at the scene and couldn't help but gasp.

The Dragon King smiled wryly and led the way inside. Inside the hall, there were layers of high platforms, each holding a rare treasure, and the outer perimeter was protected by a protective barrier.

Ye Feng immediately recognized the nine-pronged fork and the halberd that had been displayed earlier.

In addition, there are many other rare treasures: a magnificent robe floats quietly, its color ever-changing, its material like clouds and mist, its colors shifting with the passage of time, as if it were made by nature itself;

In another location, a flying sword hung suspended, which upon closer inspection turned out to be composed of countless tiny needles. Ye Feng, using his Golden Crow Divine Eyes to examine it, counted a total of 129,600 needles, each containing a sharp aura. Although this sword had not yet reached the level of a post-natal spiritual treasure, it was extremely close.

The hall was filled with a dazzling array of items, numbering no less than several hundred.

From the moment Wukong stepped into this place, his eyes never left. Every time he saw something, he felt an irresistible urge to collect it all.

Only then did they realize that the weapons the Dragon King had presented earlier were merely the tip of the iceberg.

For example, there is a pair of jet-black giant hammers in the warehouse. Their brilliance is restrained, yet they exude a heavy sense of oppression. Their weight probably far exceeds that of the Fangtian Halberd.

"This old bastard has hidden himself well." Wukong sneered inwardly, his eyes now different, his fingers secretly stroking his earlobe—the golden cudgel was hidden there.

He secretly pondered: There are countless treasures here, yet my senior brother only took one; what a pity. If I suddenly strike and knock the old dragon unconscious, wouldn't all these treasures be within my grasp?

Just as he was about to make a move, he suddenly heard Ye Feng sigh softly:

"Alas, old Dragon King, although you have many treasures here, none of them suit my taste."

"Your treasure trove is just what I wanted; it's a rare find. Why don't you give it to me?"

"What did you say?" The Dragon King stood there dumbfounded, almost thinking he had misheard.

Ye Feng had anticipated this reaction. If it were him, he would probably have been just as shocked.

But he remained calm and showed no remorse; instead, he appeared somewhat innocent.

Putting aside the choices offered by the system, the sheer mountain of rare treasures before him would tempt anyone. Moreover—the monkey had already secretly touched its ears several times, clearly unable to contain itself. Ye Feng knew that if he didn't speak up soon, the monkey might actually try to snatch them, and in the process, kill the old dragon as well.

Furthermore, the Dragon King of the East Sea is no benevolent being either.

He appeared all smiles, but in reality, he was scheming. Regardless of whether he took action today, he would definitely report to the Heavenly Court afterward and seek revenge.

Since that's the case, why not be decisive and take it all?

"Fellow Daoist is joking." The old Dragon King forced a smile, trying to bluff his way out.

Ye Feng's face darkened: "Who's joking with you?"

The Dragon King's smile froze instantly.

Ye Feng turned and walked straight out of the Dragon Palace. Sun Wukong's eyes darted around, and he followed closely behind.

The Dragon King's heart tightened, and he hurriedly gave chase.

As soon as he reached the sea, Ye Feng lightly touched the ground with his toes, leaped into the air, and hovered in mid-air, raising his hand to gesture downwards.

"rise!"

With a clear shout, the seabed suddenly roared and trembled. An invisible, immense force surged from the abyss, rushing straight towards the earth's veins. The treasure trove buried deep underwater shook violently, slowly rising from the seabed, breaking free of the silt, and ascending towards the surface.

As it rose, a mysterious law enveloped it, causing the treasure vault to shrink and compress. By the time it reached Ye Feng's palm, it was only eight inches square, which he grasped in his hand and vanished in an instant.

The old Dragon King below was ashen-faced, his chest heaving violently, almost fainting from exhaustion.

Ye Feng bowed respectfully, his tone indifferent: "Dragon King, thank you for your generosity. As the day is drawing to a close, I will not disturb you any longer."

He wasn't afraid of war, he just didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

The purpose of this journey is to retrieve treasure, not to kill. Even if the Dragon King is no match for the Monkey King, if the monkey acts impulsively and kills him, it will ultimately break the rules.

He's after money, not lives. Robbing money without killing is considered prudent.

Having said that, he rose into the clouds and headed straight for the sea.

A monkey's voice called out from behind, "Senior brother, wait for me!"

Sun Wukong stomped the ground and leaped into the air, giving chase relentlessly.

Actually, he had his eye on a magnificent suit of armor in the storeroom earlier and had originally intended to swindle another set to take with him. But seeing the old dragon's dejected appearance, he couldn't bear to cheat him any further and had to give up. However, he still couldn't stop thinking about that suit of armor.

The two moved extremely fast, and in a few leaps they were already far away from the Crystal Palace area.

The moment I left the Dragon Domain, the system's voice quietly sounded:

"Successfully seized the Dragon Palace Treasure Vault. Reward: The Great Array of Heavenly Gods and Demons."

Ye Feng scanned the area with his divine sense and saw twelve ancient flags quietly appear in his personal space. The flags were mottled and exuded a chilling aura of ancient wilderness.

It's still underwater, so it's not convenient to examine it closely. Let's accept it for now.

In less than a quarter of an hour, sunlight began to stream down overhead, indicating they were approaching shallow water. The two accelerated upwards, breaking through the water and immediately feeling light and refreshed.

Looking out, the vast expanse of blue waves stretches to the horizon.

They did not return to the Water Curtain Cave via the original route, but instead appeared from the side of the sea, with Flower Fruit Mountain in the distance.

After determining their location, the two brothers rode the clouds westward and arrived shortly afterward.

When the monkeys saw their king return, they cheered and rushed to greet him.

"Your Majesty! Is the Dragon Palace truly overflowing with gold and jade? Is it even more magnificent than the legends say?"

"Your Majesty, does that Dragon King have four claws and eight whiskers, and does his voice make a buzzing sound?"

"Come and see what treasure you've acquired! Let us broaden our horizons!"

Sun Wukong loved grandstanding, and being surrounded and questioned by the monkeys filled him with pride. He chuckled and said, "Don't be impatient, don't be impatient. Grandpa has indeed acquired a priceless treasure, called the 'Ruyi Jingu Bang' (Golden Cudgel). Today, I'll show you all what it's like!"

Having said that, he reached into his ear and pulled out a golden light. The iron rod flew into the air, and as he swung it, the wind and clouds changed color and a whistling wind arose.

The monkeys clapped and jumped, cheering continuously.

After playing around for a while, Wukong put away his staff and turned to Ye Feng with a smile, saying, "Senior brother, why don't you hurry up and take out the Dragon Palace treasure trove so that the children can broaden their horizons?"

Although Ye Feng disliked being ostentatious, he did not refuse.

"Scatter!" Ye Feng shouted softly, and the monkeys retreated in all directions. With a flick of his sleeve, a crystal-clear palace appeared out of thin air, which he then casually tossed out. The palace expanded upon contact with the wind, growing a thousand times larger in an instant, before crashing down in front of the Water Curtain Cave, stirring up surging waves.

The monkeys stood frozen in place, their eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

Immediately afterward, Ye Feng pushed open the treasure vault door, and golden light burst forth, accompanied by thousands of auspicious rays. Sun Wukong followed him inside, and the two began to inventory their spoils.

Wukong disdained all the other treasures—he already had the Ruyi Jingu Bang in his hand—but he was particularly fond of a set of golden chainmail, his eyes burning with admiration.

Ye Feng, however, didn't take it to heart. He recalled that in the original story, Wukong had asked the Dragon King of the East Sea for equipment, but the Dragon King made excuses and eventually had to call on several of his brothers to put together a complete set. Now it seemed that the Dragon King was indeed a miserly and stingy person.

Putting aside everything else, this treasure vault alone contains three sets of immortal armor, as well as cloud boots, phoenix crowns, jade belts, and embroidered robes—a dazzling array of items, complete with everything imaginable.

He strolled slowly through the storeroom, casually flipping through the items. Although the treasures were plentiful, most were unremarkable and unworthy of his attention, though they were still acceptable for his collection.

So he bestowed upon Sun Wukong the golden chainmail, along with auspicious cloud-patterned boots and a purple-gold crown. The moment the monkey donned these, his demeanor changed drastically; he became majestic and imposing, no longer displaying his former wild and untamed nature.

Wukong was so happy that he scratched his ears and cheeks, then somersaulted out of the treasure vault, his laughter shaking the heavens.

Ye Feng then selected a golden-winged broadsword, a nine-pronged steel fork, a pair of halberds, and a serpent spear, and bestowed them upon Marshal Ma Liu and General Beng Ba, respectively. The four monkeys, overwhelmed with gratitude upon receiving these generous gifts, burst into tears, knelt down, and kowtowed repeatedly, their gratitude overflowing.

Afterwards, Ye Feng put away the entire treasure vault, keeping the remaining items for himself.

Back on the mountaintop, gazing at the simple thatched hut, nothing seemed right. A thought stirred within him, and he resolved to rebuild his dwelling.

He took out the Crystal Palace he had "borrowed" from the Dragon Palace, poured out all its treasures, and ignited a true fire, melting the entire palace into a pure white, jade-like liquid. Then, he channeled his great magical power and, according to his vision, rebuilt the palace atop Flower Fruit Mountain.

After its completion, he personally inscribed the plaque with the three characters "Yiyuan Palace". Only then did he feel satisfied.

After returning from the Dragon Palace, Ye Feng's days on Flower Fruit Mountain returned to tranquility.

During the past two weeks, he examined each item he had obtained from the Dragon Palace and categorized and organized them.

Although there are many of them, truly superior treasures are few and far between, and innate spiritual treasures are nowhere to be found.

However, some original natural treasures still have value.

Among them, he took a flying sword formed from 129,600 flying needles—named "Flying Cloud Sword," a relic of the ancient Taiyi Golden Immortal, a high-grade magic weapon with considerable power.

Another pair of rings, a pair of sinister artifacts from the Asura realm, were obtained. The child ring was used to lock the soul, while the mother ring was kept in the hand, thus the opponent was completely at the mercy of the user and unable to resist.

However, this treasure goes against the will of Heaven and damages karma. It also has a major limitation: the caster's cultivation level must always be higher than the target's, otherwise, they will suffer a backlash.

Apart from these two items, the rest were all unusable. He opened a secret chamber within the Yiyuan Palace as a place to store treasures, and sealed them all away.

The rest of his time was devoted to cultivating and comprehending the Great Array of Heavenly Gods and Demons.

He often deduced the changes in the flag gate, and the deeper he went, the more astonished he became.

This formation is indeed a supreme secret of the Witch Clan, secretly in accordance with the principles of creation. With his current cultivation level, even if a Grand Luo Golden Immortal were to mistakenly enter the formation, he would likely only perish.

Each flag gate corresponds to an Ancestral Witch, who can continuously strengthen themselves by devouring the souls and blood of living beings.

According to Ye Feng's calculations, if there is sufficient blood and food, it may even be able to condense the true form of the Ancestral Witch, at which time the power of the formation will rise to an unbelievable level.

During his cultivation, he also noticed that his strength was improving day by day. Only a trace of solar essence remained in his body, and it was about to be exhausted.

His magical power surged like a river, reaching the peak of the mid-stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, and he would enter the late stage within a few days.

At the same time, his understanding of the "Chaos Golden Crow Technique" became increasingly profound.

The more one comprehends this skill, the more terrifying it becomes.