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

"Brother Ye, spare my life! I, Old Niu, admit defeat and truly submit!" he shouted hoarsely.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Feng retracted his claws and withdrew the fire. The giant fireball in the sky slowly shrank, eventually transforming into Ye Feng's human form.

He stood with his hands behind his back, landed calmly, and had a serene expression.

The mountain-like ox let out a long sigh, then collapsed limply to the ground. After a long while, it shook itself and regained its human form.

At this moment, the Bull Demon King was in a terrible state: his body was burned in many places, his cloak was burned to ashes, his armor was tattered, and his face was covered in ashes, making him look both comical and pitiful.

Ye Feng and he returned to the stone table, and the other demon kings looked at him differently.

Awe mingled with envy, and they dared not show the slightest contempt.

The atmosphere immediately eased, and the attitudes of the demon kings changed noticeably. They treated Ye Feng with great respect, a stark contrast to their previous attitudes.

As Ye Feng once said, among the demon race, the strong are respected.

These demon kings fundamentally believe in the law of the jungle; if you are stronger than them, they will naturally bow down and submit.

Ye Feng was not arrogant because of this; on the contrary, he smiled gently and behaved with propriety. He then used his supernatural powers to restore the damaged Flower Fruit Mountain to its original state.

Because the battles mostly took place in the air, the damage was far less than that of the battle between the monkey and the lion king, and recovery was also faster.

Then he raised his hand and summoned a flying sword that flew back from the sky and landed in his palm. He then rolled up his sleeve and disappeared into it.

He then summoned the little demon and ordered it to continue serving wine and dishes.

This time, both host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely. Peng Demon King and the others were exceptionally hospitable, frequently offering toasts.

Even the usually aloof Flood Dragon King became overly attentive, showering Ye Feng with compliments and repeatedly trying to subtly inquire about his background, only to be thwarted by Ye Feng's smiles.

Only the Bull Demon King sat alone in the corner, silently drinking, looking dejected, and hardly uttering a word.

The others wisely stopped mentioning the competition.

As the banquet was drawing to a close, the little demon stepped forward to report that the offerings for the heavenly sacrifice had been prepared.

Ye Feng stood up with a smile and invited everyone to set up the altar and hold the sworn brotherhood ceremony.

He even specially invited the Black Bear Spirit to make up the total number of nine demon kings.

Incense was burned and prayers were offered; the ceremony was solemn and orderly.

"We pray to Heaven, and Heaven and Earth bear witness, that today we, the nine members of the Demon King, shall swear an oath of brotherhood, to share blessings and hardships together."

Under Ye Feng's direction, all the demon kings raised their wine cups in unison.

After drinking it all in one gulp, the talismans bearing their names spontaneously combusted without fire, emitting wisps of blue smoke, symbolizing the establishment of the oath.

From then on, Ye Feng was known as the "Golden Crow King".

He actually resisted this title quite a bit—it was too vulgar and lacked any domineering presence.

But they couldn't think of a more impressive name for the time being, so they had to accept it for the time being.

He secretly planned to find a resounding name in the future, one worthy of his current level of cultivation.

He ascended to the position of the leader of the nine demon kings without any controversy, and was hailed as "Big Brother" by all the demons.

The Bull Demon King ranked second, followed by the Flood Dragon Demon King, the Roc Demon King, the Macaque King, the Yu Rong King, the Handsome Monkey King, the Lion Camel King, and the Bear King.

Sun Wukong is still ranked seventh, for no other reason than that he once defeated the Lion Camel King head-on and earned respect through his strength.

With the rankings finalized, the demons once again drank and revelled, only gradually departing the following day to return to their respective caves.

The Bull Demon King remained silent and indifferent throughout the event, but when the banquet ended, he was the first to get up and leave decisively.

Just as the seven demon kings completed their sworn brotherhood ceremony, a system notification quietly sounded in Ye Feng's mind:

"The Seven Great Saints have completed their sworn brotherhood mission and have successfully become the leader of all demon kings. Reward: Yellow Plum seedling."

Ye Feng remained calm and showed no emotion, and did not check on the spot.

After all six demon kings had left, he ordered the lesser demons to clean up the mess from the banquet.

Sun Wukong and the Black Bear Spirit were already drunk and went back to their caves to sleep. Only Ye Feng was clear-headed and slowly walked back to Yiyuan Palace along the mountain path.

Back in the palace, he sat cross-legged on the cloud bed, the "Yellow Plum Sapling" appearing in his palm.

Its entire body was emerald green, no more than a foot tall, with tender buds just beginning to unfurl, resembling lotus blossoms in bud, and a faint ethereal light emanating from it. Though a seedling, it filled the entire palace with a clear, sweet, and exotic fragrance.

Ye Feng nodded slightly, a satisfied look on his face, then frowned and pondered.

This item is indeed a treasure, the Yellow Plum, one of the ten great spiritual roots of the primordial world.

Legend has it that this tree has a cycle of 30,000 years: it flowers once every 10,000 years, bears fruit once every 10,000 years, and then takes another 10,000 years to mature. Each cycle produces only nine fruits, and the words "Huang Zhong" (meaning "yellow center") naturally appear on the surface of the fruit, hence its name.

And this is only the time it takes for the fruit to mature—it would probably take no less than 50,000 years to cultivate a seedling into a towering tree.

Fifty thousand years... Can we afford to wait that long? The world would probably have changed several times over by then.

What's even more challenging is that this type of spiritual root is extremely demanding in terms of its growing environment, requiring special spiritual soil to grow and survive.

Although Huaguo Mountain is a blessed land, full of spiritual energy, it can barely sustain this seedling. But what Ye Feng lacks is never the place, but the time.

He tapped his chin lightly with his fingertips, repeatedly weighing how to maximize the value of this seedling.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck, and an idea leaped into my mind.

It doesn't matter if you don't know how to cultivate it, or if it takes a long time—there are people who are experts in this field.

The more Ye Feng thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. He immediately put away the seedlings, got up and walked out of the palace. He took off into the air and transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for Xiniu Hezhou.

He was extremely fast; at full speed, he traversed the Eastern Continent in just two hours.

After arriving at Xiniu Hezhou and getting a quick sense of direction, they sped off towards Fangcun Mountain.

As fate would have it, he was born as a raven at the foot of Fangcun Mountain when he first transmigrated.

That land could also be considered his "homeland".

Near the foot of the mountain, he did not go straight up, but circled at low altitude before finally landing back in the crow's nest where he had lived years before.

The old nest still stands, overgrown with weeds, but there are no trace of the former kinsmen, nor of the mother crow.

He carefully surveyed the area with his divine sense and confirmed that there was not a single crow alive within a ten-mile radius.

His brow furrowed slightly, and doubts began to creep into his mind.

There is probably a secret hidden within this that is related to his time travel.

Should we ask Patriarch Bodhi directly?

The thought arose, but he suppressed it again.

He wasn't sure if Bodhi knew, but he remembered that on the day he left the mountain, the patriarch had said something profound.

If there really was an answer, it should have been revealed then and there.

Silence now is an tacit agreement—this matter should not be asked, nor need it be asked.

There are certain boundaries that Ye Feng has always known how to yield to.

He composed himself, and with a flash, he took to the air again, heading towards the depths of Fangcun Mountain.

In the blink of an eye, the Taoist temple at Sanxing Cave came into view.

The old house still had green tiles and white walls, and the courtyard was orderly. Disciples came and went, chanting scriptures, just as when he left.

He pressed down the escape light and landed steadily in the Taoist temple courtyard.

A disciple who was copying scriptures noticed the commotion and was startled at first, but breathed a sigh of relief after seeing who it was.

He quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Senior Brother Ye Feng? Why are you back?"

Ye Feng glanced at him; his face was familiar, but he couldn't remember his name. He simply smiled gently.

"If you have urgent business to discuss with the Patriarch, go and inform him immediately."

The disciple dared not be negligent, knowing that this man was once famous in the mountains and was known as the "Mountain Tyrant". How could he dare to disobey him?

A moment later, the disciple hurriedly returned: "Senior Brother Ye, the Ancestral Master is admiring the flowers in the backyard. Please come over."

Ye Feng nodded and stepped through.

After passing through rows of disciples' residences and a moon gate, we arrived at the courtyard where Bodhi lived alone.

This place is quiet and secluded, isolated from others, forming its own world.

Bodhi stood with a whisk draped over his shoulder, his back to the courtyard gate, gazing at the vibrant spring scenery.

When Ye Feng left the mountain, it was late autumn; now he has returned in the warmth of spring and blooming flowers.

He approached quietly, without making a sound, and stood silently behind him, watching the scenery together.

A hundred flowers are in full bloom, and a pupa is emerging from its cocoon at the tip of a flower.

On this very flower, a praying mantis lay motionless, its forelegs raised high like knives, gleaming coldly.

Ye Feng looked up and suddenly saw an oriole perched on a branch, its eyes fixed on the mantis, waiting patiently without making a move.

As the wind blew, the petals trembled, and the three people—no, a fairy, a bird, and an insect—were frozen in time, as if time itself had stopped.

When the emerging butterfly and the mantis in the grass were both carried away by the oriole, Bodhi turned around, a slight smile playing on his lips: "What brings you to this leisurely mood? Why did you suddenly decide to return to the mountain?"

Ye Feng didn't beat around the bush and replied with a smile, "I have acquired a rare item. Remembering my master's teachings, I am deeply grateful and have come to offer it as a token of my respect."

Bodhi chuckled and shook his head: "You actually have this kind of sentiment? Let me see it."

Ye Feng immediately took out the young yellow plum seedling and presented it with both hands.

Bodhi's brow twitched. He took the plum and examined it closely. After about ten breaths, he asked in a low voice, "This is... a Yellow Plum?"

Ye Feng nodded slightly.

Bodhi sighed softly, holding the seedling, and said, "You silly bird, you're lucky. This Yellow Plum is one of the Ten Great Spiritual Roots, with boundless wonders. In the beginning of the primordial world, countless powerful beings searched for it but could not find it, yet you obtained it by chance."

His tone was seemingly wistful, then he suddenly paused, staring at Ye Feng as if suddenly realizing something, and laughed and scolded, "I was genuinely touched for a moment, thinking you finally knew how to respect your teacher. Turns out you couldn't grow this treasure yourself, so you wanted to use me as a laborer, so you could reap the rewards when the fruit ripens!"

Ye Feng grinned: "Master, you're wronging me. I'm offering this treasure sincerely, how could I dare to scheme against you? But since I found it, it's only reasonable for you to give me seven or eight when it bears fruit."

Upon hearing this, Bodhi was so angry he almost fell over.

I had previously thought this student was enlightened and sensible, but who knew he would utter such shameless words?

The Huangzhong plum only produces nine fruits per cycle, a predetermined number by nature. If he swallows seven or eight in one go, wouldn't he be taking them all?

But Bodhi, being broad-minded, did not get angry. He simply snorted, turned around, dug out a space in the flowerbed, and planted the seedlings himself.

"Very well, I will not covet your possessions. This tree is extremely difficult to cultivate; even if I use magic to hasten its growth, it will still take three hundred years to bear fruit. Go back now, and once it matures, someone will be sent to deliver it to you."

Ye Feng quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master. I will take my leave now."

Bodhi waved his hand dismissively and turned away.

Ye Feng didn't mind. With a smile on his lips, he transformed into a streak of light and left Fangcun Mountain. He didn't linger in Xiniu Hezhou for even a moment, heading straight for Huaguo Mountain.

The return journey was even faster, taking just over an hour to arrive. Upon entering the Yiyuan Palace, they saw an old ape anxiously waiting.

Upon seeing him appear, the old ape rushed forward, knelt down with a thud, and burst into tears.

Ye Feng frowned slightly, his expression unchanged, and asked in a deep voice, "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"

The old ape sobbed, "Great King, you're finally back! Go see the Great King! After he swore brotherhood with the six demon kings, he drank and celebrated. After getting drunk, he returned to the Water Curtain Cave to sleep. At first, he could still breathe and snore, but an hour ago, suddenly his breath stopped completely, as if he were dead."

"Oh?" Ye Feng's heart trembled slightly, and he had already guessed some of the reason.

He calmly said, "Take me to see."

Seeing that he was not flustered, the old ape felt somewhat relieved and hurriedly got up to lead the way, heading straight for the Water Curtain Cave.