Pigsy and Kang moved at full speed, crossing the land with astonishing velocity.
Even though the region stretched for miles, to immortals of their level, distance meant almost nothing.
Less than two and a half hours later, the black wind Pigsy had transformed into stopped beside Kang's dragon head and shouted toward Axel, who was sleeping peacefully.
"Great Sage, stop sleeping already! Once we pass through the Green Screen Path, we'll arrive at Mount Huaguo!"
Axel slowly opened his eyes.
As long as nobody disturbed his deep sleep at night, he rarely woke up in a bad mood. He rubbed his head lazily, then patted Kang's neck.
"We're already here?"
"We are, Great Sage."
Kang let out a long cry before flying through the Green Screen Path. She eventually landed in front of an enormous stone pillar wrapped tightly in countless iron chains, with yellow talismans hanging everywhere across the locks.
After everyone landed, Pigsy stared at the talismans and sneered.
"Those are Wang Lingguan's Spiritual Official Talismans. That bastard lost his head and still had the nerve to report Old Pig afterward."
He spat on the ground.
"Whatever's sealed here must be something capable of irritating those old Daoists. Otherwise, they wouldn't bother locking it up like this."
Pigsy immediately raised his nine-toothed rake and smashed it toward the chains.
The instant the rake collided with the iron...
Crack!!!
A deafening thunderclap exploded across the sky.
Thousands of lightning bolts descended at once, striking Pigsy directly and blasting him away from the Green Screen Path like a cannonball.
Watching Pigsy disappear into the distance, Axel grinned.
He casually wrapped an arm around Kang after she returned to human form. The little dragon girl immediately lowered her head shyly.
"This is Mount Huaguo. What else could they possibly seal here?"
Axel shrugged.
"Forget it. That monkey should keep some things for himself after he revives. I'm not interested in stealing everything."
As soon as he finished speaking, Axel casually waved his hand.
Pigsy instantly reappeared beside him.
"Oh, my goodness!"
Pigsy stumbled from the sudden shift and stared at Axel in disbelief.
"Great Sage, that move can grab people from a distance too? That's insane!"
While speaking, Pigsy rubbed his smoking body and glanced hatefully at the chains again.
At the same time, Axel looked toward the massive pillar.
"The armor you mentioned should be the set the Heavenly Court gave Sun Wukong after he became a Buddha, right?"
Pigsy blinked.
Axel laughed.
"That monkey never wanted to become a Buddha in the first place, and he definitely wouldn't enjoy living in Heaven. If that's the case, he probably doesn't care much about Heaven's gifted armor either."
He cracked his knuckles.
"So I'll take a set for myself. His real weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Bang, stays for him."
Pigsy froze.
"Wait... did you just say the thing sealed here is the Ruyi Jingu Bang?"
He looked at the massive pillar again with wide eyes.
"I thought this was a Dragon Suppressing Pillar! I figured some unlucky dragon was trapped beneath it."
Pigsy suddenly grew excited.
"If that's really the Golden Cudgel, then pulling it out sounds pretty damn satisfying."
Axel shook his head.
"Leave it."
He smirked slightly.
"I still have a conscience."
As he spoke, Axel suddenly reached into the air with one hand.
A small mantis instantly appeared in his palm.
Pigsy's eyes widened.
Before he could react further, Axel grabbed again.
A bird-headed giant deer appeared out of nowhere.
Another grab.
A massive cricket materialized mid-jump, its movement forcefully interrupted.
One final grab.
A golden-horned rhinoceros appeared before them.
Pigsy stared at the four demons in shock before hurriedly cupping his hands.
"As expected of the Great Sage."
He sniffed carefully.
"These demons all carry traces of Senior Brother's aura... but there's also something else mixed in."
Pigsy's expression darkened.
"This reeks of Heaven."
He spat angrily.
"Those old officials are definitely watching everything from above. Old Pig understands now, all the gods and Buddhas want my Senior Brother revived."
Pigsy pointed at the armor pieces.
"Senior Brother's armor was forged by Lord Laozi's fire and refined by the Six Ding and Six Jia. It's deeply connected to Heaven."
He grew more irritated as he spoke.
"Only a few hundred years passed and these things already became spirits? Then why hasn't Lord Laozi's Vajra Bracelet become a spirit yet? Bunch of hypocrites."
Enraged, Pigsy slammed his rake into the golden-horned rhinoceros.
The rhinoceros finally snapped awake from its dazed state and immediately charged forward, launching Pigsy into the distance again.
Afterward, the rhinoceros lowered its head and rushed toward Axel and Kang.
It barely took one step.
Boom!!!
Axel threw a single punch.
The rhinoceros exploded into dust instantly.
The shockwave from that punch continued forward, carving an enormous trench straight through the Green Screen Path and splitting apart the mountain terrain ahead.
Kang stared at the destruction in disbelief.
"What kind of divine power is this...? Even Fa Tian Xiang Di shouldn't create destruction like this with pure physical strength alone."
Axel chuckled.
"Who said it's a divine ability? I'm just strong."
He then looked at the mantis in his hand before glancing toward the newly opened path.
A moment later, the mantis transformed.
The creature instantly became a pair of armguards that wrapped around Axel's arms.
Immediately afterward, the breastplate, leg guards, and crown appeared one after another, covering his body completely.
Axel examined the armor with satisfaction.
Now this actually looked proper.
The only issue was that the armor had no shoes, only armored greaves that left his feet exposed.
Still, Axel didn't care much.
The armor could clearly reshape itself anyway.
Besides, barefoot combat wasn't a problem.
Even Nezha fought barefoot half the time. Plenty of gods and immortals preferred it.
More importantly, Axel usually fought shirtless and barefoot because it made stomping people's faces easier.
Thinking about it, he dug his toes into the ground happily.
"Yeah, this feels right."
The armor wasn't completely weightless, but it didn't interfere with his movements at all.
It stayed cool in summer, warm in winter, cleaned itself automatically, and even repaired damage on its own.
It truly lived up to Heaven's craftsmanship.
Beside him, Kang stared at Axel quietly.
The black armor, crown, and slicked-back hair made him look far more imposing than before.
After hesitating briefly, she spoke softly.
"Great Sage... if your hair were longer, it would probably look even better tied into the crown."
"Oh?"
Axel grinned.
"I can fix that."
He took a deep breath.
Instantly, his hair began growing rapidly.
As it lengthened, Axel laughed.
"My body's usually locked in a stable state, so nothing naturally grows or changes unless I allow it. Ever since they cut my hair before, I haven't worn this style again."
Once his hair reached the proper length, Axel casually sat on a nearby boulder.
Kang walked over quietly and stood behind him.
With careful movements, the little dragon girl began tying his hair into the crown herself.