"You old bastard, where did you run off to?!"
The moment Maitreya vanished, Pigsy immediately raised his Nine-toothed Rake and scanned the surroundings with full alertness.
Pointing the rake toward every possible blind spot, he warned Axel without turning around.
"Great Sage, those monks from the Western Heaven are the most scheming bastards alive. Their tricks are filthier than a yaksha's. Be careful. That old monk is already powerful enough as it is. If he starts using sneak attacks, you could get caught off guard before you even get the chance to use those terrifying abilities you pulled on the Jade Emperor!"
Cold sweat rolled down Pigsy's forehead as he spoke.
Behind him, Kang Jinmei and Bue also became tense and instinctively readied their weapons.
Kang tightened her grip, then suddenly froze.
Something felt wrong.
She was one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, a celestial deity. Why was she instinctively guarding herself against a Buddha alongside a demon?
That thought made her heart tremble.
Her gaze slowly shifted toward Axel.
Covered in blood and standing amidst destruction, he looked more like a devil than any monster she had ever seen. Yet somehow, she had to admit it.
Right now, Axel looked far more imposing and attractive than the Monkey King ever had.
The wild, lawless aura surrounding him completely overwhelmed everything else.
Just thinking about it made Kang Jinmei's ears heat up.
What a disastrous fate...
Since things had already reached this point, there was no point resisting it anymore.
She just wondered what kind of methods Axel would use to "discipline" her later.
Would it really happen exactly like the illusion she saw inside the Human Sack?
While Kang Jinmei drifted deeper into her thoughts, Axel lightly clapped his hands and laughed.
"Relax already. Stop looking around like idiots. Can't you tell? That old monk already ran."
"Ran away?!"
Pigsy nearly jumped.
"That's impossible! He's a Buddha! Since when do Buddhas run away?!"
Axel grinned.
"Buddhas bleed red too."
Then he casually pushed Pigsy's rake downward.
But Pigsy still looked unconvinced.
"Great Sage, this isn't the time to act fearless! That's the Future Buddha we're talking about! Even if he wanted to retreat, he should've at least fought first!"
Pigsy waved his hands dramatically.
"Even demons know basic dignity! They struggle desperately, make a big scene, and only surrender after exhausting every last trick!"
"That's why they're demons and not Buddhas."
Axel chuckled and tossed the Human Sack back toward Pigsy.
Pigsy stared at it for a second before quickly throwing it back.
"I'm not holding that thing. You keep it. If that old monk comes back, he'll snatch it away immediately."
"If he takes it, I'll just take it back again."
Axel casually threw it back once more.
Pigsy finally tied it around his waist, pretending not to care.
At that exact moment, the massive Golden Cymbal resting on Turtle Mountain suddenly vanished from General Turtle's back.
Pigsy's expression instantly changed.
"Great Sage! That old bastard still gained something in the end! We forgot to take back his Golden Cymbal!"
"Oh? Did we?"
Axel smirked and reached out casually.
The next second, a miniature Golden Cymbal appeared directly in his hand.
Pigsy's jaw nearly hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Axel bounced the cymbal against the ground like a toy ball.
"I already told you Maitreya ran. You just refused to believe me."
He laughed lazily.
"Think about it. Even Tathagata himself couldn't casually steal Maitreya's Dharma treasure right out of his hands."
Axel spun the cymbal on one finger.
"But I can."
His grin widened.
"If you were Maitreya, would you dare stay and fight after seeing that?"
With a flick of his wrist, Axel tossed the Golden Cymbal toward Kang Jinmei.
She instinctively caught it.
The instant her fingers touched the treasure, memories from inside the Human Sack resurfaced in her mind.
Her breathing became uneven.
A sacred treasure personally handed to her...
Was this... a betrothal gift?
Then what about the dowry?
Would her family even be able to afford one worthy of him?
The more Kang Jinmei thought about it, the more overwhelmed she became.
Her gaze toward Axel softened further.
Axel, however, paid no attention to her thoughts.
He simply reached into the void again.
Moments later, Maitreya's Wolf-tooth Club was forcibly dragged out of empty space and thrown toward Bue.
Bue hurriedly caught it, completely stunned.
There was actually a reward for him too?
Holding the weapon carefully with both hands, he immediately bowed.
"Great King, I haven't accomplished anything worthy of such a treasure. I truly don't deserve this reward."
Axel laughed.
"At least one of you knows how to speak properly."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Keep it. Anyone present gets a share."
Then he pointed toward Kang Jinmei and Pigsy.
"My dragon sister is too naive and gets tricked too easily. As for this pig, he's smart enough, but look at him. Do you seriously think I can trust a pig to manage my future subordinates?"
Pigsy instantly looked offended.
Axel ignored him.
"So Bue, you'll handle the real work from now on. Build the foundation properly, and your merits will come naturally."
He smirked.
"And besides, if you disappoint me later, I won't feel guilty beating you after giving you such a generous reward first."
"Thank you, Great King!"
Bue bowed deeply without hesitation.
Beside him, Pigsy clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Fine, call me lazy if you want, but can you at least use better wording? I'm a boar, not some ordinary pig!"
He pointed at himself indignantly.
"People hearing you talk would think I'm some random farm animal!"
Then Pigsy narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Actually, Great Sage, you've been mocking everyone else this whole time, but nobody knows what kind of demon you really are."
He leaned forward.
"So what exactly are you?"
Kang Jinmei quietly looked over as well, her cheeks still slightly red.
In their eyes, Axel appeared completely human.
But after witnessing everything he had done today, neither of them believed that anymore.
Axel simply spread his hands.
"I'm human."
Pigsy blinked.
"…Human?"
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait, what?!"
Axel casually patted Pigsy's shoulder.
"I'm just an ordinary human, Old Pig."
He smiled.
"But who said humans can't become Great Sages?"
Before Pigsy could recover from the shock, Axel continued.
"Enough chatting. Time to work."
He pointed at Bue.
"You'll head to the nearby cities and gather laborers. Human cities, demon cities, whatever works."
Axel's grin slowly widened.
"Start building my palace."
"A palace identical to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall."
Pigsy and the others froze.
Then Axel suddenly disappeared.
A few moments later, space distorted again.
Axel returned carrying mountain-sized piles of gold bars suspended behind him.
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