Now You Have Failed the Mission

Wukong gazed calmly at the two figures before him. Whether Chu Xingchen’s words were true or false remained uncertain, but the information about Donggua had been accurate. After pushing them to the brink, the unmistakable aura of demons had surfaced the moment they fought back.

Since they were demons, the range of methods he could employ naturally widened.

Moreover, these two showed no coordination, constantly wary of him from start to finish. They weren’t fools, making it genuinely difficult to extract any useful intelligence. Wukong had no interest—nor the naivety—to believe he could earn a demon’s trust through actions. Nor did he think these creatures could comprehend concepts like truth, kindness, or beauty.

If benevolence proved useless, only cruelty remained.

Even an Arhat could wield wrath; the Buddhist sects hadn’t secured their place among the Eighteen Immortal Sects solely by chanting sutras.

Violence was both method and means, coercion a strategy in itself.

Yet progress was frustratingly slow. These two demons seemed genuinely cut off from their superiors. Even after such a beating, they hadn’t called for reinforcements, leaving no easy trail to follow.

Wukong studied the faint resentment in Donggua’s eyes, silently calculating—had he been too lenient? Were they still holding out?

Perhaps it was time to escalate.

Pity he’d promised Chu Xingchen not to kill them yet. Otherwise, he might have tried other methods.

Wukong waited as the two put on a show of deliberation, biding his time before seizing an excuse to provoke them:

"Have you finished discussing?"

Donggua shot him a sidelong glance, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Rushing headlong into things achieves nothing. Real work requires careful planning."

The Pig Demon nodded approvingly, admiring her unyielding tongue.

Wukong ignored her tone—his tolerance soared, knowing he’d soon vent his frustration.

"Then what exactly do you plan to do?"

"First, leave markers to the east, then to the west, then scout for news in the south—"

Her words cut off abruptly as a massive, golden fist halted at the tip of her nose, the oppressive Buddhist energy radiating violence.

Wukong repeated, slow and deliberate:

"Then what exactly do you plan to do?"

Donggua inhaled sharply, abandoning her sarcasm. She’d only meant to vent, not take a beating for this damned monk’s amusement.

After a pause, her tone softened into smooth fabrication:

"The east holds an old rally point. It might still be active. I’ll leave signals there to see if any scattered members remain."

"Intel suggests the west once housed a support team, though it’s unclear if they’ve withdrawn. We’ll search there too."

"As for gathering intel, that takes time. Our superiors will only contact us once they’re certain we’re clean."

She could spin such empty talk for hours. No matter the question, the answer would always be "unfavorable."

Seventy percent of Cui Hao’s reports had followed this script. By his first sentence, Donggua could predict the rest.

Words spoken, yet meaning nothing.

Back then, she’d gritted her teeth in frustration, believing Cui Hao competent and enduring it.

Now, the tables had turned!

Her turn to speak, someone else’s turn to suffer!

A gentle smile played on Donggua’s lips as she watched Wukong’s expression.

BOOM!

The Pig Demon’s pupils shrank as Wukong drove Donggua into the ground with a single punch, followed by a flurry of Arhat Fists.

"I came here in good faith to aid you, yet you repay me with insolence!"

"The situation is dire, time short, and you dare dawdle?"

"If all demons were like you, where would that leave the rest of us?"

"If persuasion fails, my Arhat Fists will do the talking!"

Ignoring Donggua’s pleading gaze, the Pig Demon scrambled back—only for Wukong to yank him into the "discussion."

"This world offers us no refuge. If we won’t fight for our survival, are we to simply wait for death?"

"You shame our kind!"

Expressionless, Wukong’s fists blazed brighter and faster, though his voice remained steady.

Now he mimicked Donggua’s empty rhetoric, cycling through the same phrases.

The surrounding forest soon bore the brunt of his "Arhat Fist lecture," reduced to wreckage within moments.

Donggua held out stubbornly through two rounds but broke by the third, begging for mercy.

Wukong remained silent, continuing until midway through the sixth set, when his movements froze. His gaze locked onto a distant figure—a graceful woman veiled beneath a gauzy hat.

A single glance told him she was trouble.

This level of cultivation… Had Donggua finally called for backup?

Was Chu Xingchen’s intel truly this valuable? To lure a demon of such caliber?

Ignoring her agony, Donggua forced herself up and knelt hastily toward Xu Linglong. The Pig Demon followed suit.

Xu Linglong toyed with a black dagger, her eyes sweeping over Donggua and the Pig Demon.

Her subordinate was unharmed. The Pig Demon wasn’t under her command… As for the monk—was he the Buddhist Holy Son?

Her eyes narrowed as she flicked the dagger, sending it streaking toward its target.

Donggua tensed, her blood singing with anticipation.

Finally, this monk would die!

Every drop of her being trembled, her demonic essence seething—

This was unmistakably… a Heavenly Demon.

And her Heavenly Demon, no less!

Had her suffering finally borne fruit?

The humiliation of these past days—would it end at last?

Eagerly, she lifted her head to witness the monk’s demise.

Only to realize the black streak wasn’t aimed at him—but the Pig Demon.

Though not her subordinate, the Pig Demon stood no chance against the crushing pressure of a Heavenly Demon’s aura. Whether willing or not, it could neither resist nor move.

Its fate now lay in another’s hands.

CLANG!

The streak never struck. Wukong intercepted it with his golden staff, radiant Buddhist light flaring as he deflected the attack.

Xu Linglong recalled the dagger, her veiled gaze locking onto Wukong.

"You dare interfere? You seemed intent on killing them yourself moments ago."

Staff in hand, Wukong stepped between them.

"My orders forbid their deaths."

Xu Linglong tilted her head. "Do you not know who I am?"

Wukong’s voice was iron.

"My mission has nothing to do with you. Until my superiors say otherwise, I answer to no one."

She traced the dagger’s edge, having listened long enough to gather he was a Buddhist envoy sent as reinforcement.

Killing him... might truly push those scum from the Buddhist sect over the edge.

Besides, this could very well be an opportunity to uncover the truth.

Xu Linglong let out a soft sigh, as if conceding to Wukong's words, while stepping toward him:

"Your progress has been remarkably swift. I can't tell if you're the flawless Buddhist disciple you claim to be, or if you're not a demon at all."

Wukong didn't flinch:

"Whether I am or not, you have your own means to verify with those above."

Xu Linglong gave a slight nod and approached the trio, her gaze settling on the empty path ahead:

"Your mission—surely I have the right to know what it is?"

"You could also ask those higher..."

Before Wukong could finish,

Xu Linglong's black blade flashed without warning, severing the Pig Demon's head from its shoulders.

The strike was too close, too sudden.

Wukong had no chance to shield the masked figure.

His grip tightened instantly around the golden melon hammer.

Xu Linglong flicked the dark blade lightly, smiling as she asked:

"Now that your mission has failed... care to enlighten me?"