"Save me, King!"
"King..."
"Whimper..."
The cries for help from the monkeys made Sun Wukong's eyes turn icy cold to the extreme.
If that multiple-headed turtle dared to make a move, he would make him pay a heavy price, even if it cost him his life.
But unknowingly in his mind, the black ape had already opened its eyes, deep and bottomless.
He noticed nothing nor had the time to care, for the multiple-headed turtle had already brought the five monkeys before him.
The large mouth with exposed fangs looked particularly ferocious, "Am I really that scary to you monkeys? Look at you all, don't cry now."
"Wah..."
The youngest monkey was directly frightened into crying, but this action seemed to provoke the Buddha hand on the back of the multiple-headed turtle, which all turned to look.
Whoosh!
Sun Wukong could no longer hold back and charged over, his presence solidified to the utmost, actually reaching the mid-level of a Human Immortal.
That was beyond what the multiple-headed turtle had expected; he had indeed entertained the idea of using the five monkeys as a snack, and it also afforded him a chance to test Sun Wukong's strength.
He hadn't expected Sun Wukong's strength to have already reached the mid-level of a Human Immortal. Coupled with his own injuries, if a conflict arose, ending in mutual destruction would be unfavorable.
Who knew if Dao Lang would be lying in ambush outside.
If he took advantage of the situation to rob him, his painstakingly managed Cloud Mist Mountain Range would fall into the hands of Guanyin Zen Temple.
This is not good! Not good!
The multiple-headed turtle, being naturally cautious, immediately discarded the previous two thoughts upon realizing that Sun Wukong's strength could affect the balance.
He directly released the five monkeys, saying with a smile, "Don't be nervous, I just couldn't help making a joke since I haven't seen any monkeys come up the mountain in a long while."
This guy, even his smile with exposed fangs was fierce, and the monkeys were too scared to believe his words and hid behind Sun Wukong.
White Ape returned in front of the group of monkeys at the gesture of Sun Wukong, who then put on a smiling face, "Thank you, senior, for your affection. It's just that my monkeys have just gone through a life and death ordeal, and their spirits are still unsettled, they really can't withstand any fright, please forgive them."
Unexpectedly, he was a refined monkey, quite thoughtful indeed.
Coincidentally, the multiple-headed turtle liked this kind of tone. He felt that those big Buddhas were all erudite, speaking in such a thoughtful manner often made things more interesting with multiple meanings in a single word.
Therefore, his gaze towards Sun Wukong softened a lot, "Amitabha! Your monkey is interesting, learned. Let me take you to the high ridges on the west side then!"
With that, he turned around, and the seven Buddha heads also closed their eyes, the entire aura becoming tranquil and unexpectedly serene.
Sun Wukong and the monkeys all breathed a sigh of relief. Although the multiple-headed turtle's face was all smiles, the seven Buddha heads had still looked angry, which was quite eerie and made the monkeys extremely uncomfortable.
Now that the Buddha heads closed their eyes, that oppressive feeling also disappeared.
"White Ape leads the way; I'll guard the rear!"
Sun Wukong made the arrangements. The monkeys all suffered burns, and aside from looking a bit unsightly with their baldness, it didn't really affect their traveling.
With the local demon, the multiple-headed turtle guiding the way, others avoided the monkey group throughout the journey, seemingly fearing trouble, and quickly departed upon seeing them.
The multiple-headed turtle, being a major demon of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, was extremely familiar with the mountain paths, mostly avoiding dangerous places, and finally arrived in a densely wooded forest.
The monkey troop sniffed their noses, catching the scent of fruit.
Having fled earlier, the monkeys were already very hungry, and the smell of fruit immediately made them restless, scratching their ears and cheeks, regaining some of their mischievous nature.
The multiple-headed turtle laughed lightly at this sight, then looked at Sun Wukong and said, "Ahead lies the largest fruit forest in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, currently occupied by a group of black eagles; if you rashly charge in, you might be bullied."
With those words, he headed straight for the fruit forest.
It seems he is going into the fruit forest.
If I haven't guessed wrongly, the high ridges to the west might just be behind the fruit forest.
White Ape looked back and saw that the monkey troop had been calmed down, while Sun Wukong was watching from the back of the line.
Seeing him look over, he smiled and said, "Just follow me, I'll mark the location; maybe from now on, the monkey tribe will rely on this fruit forest to survive."
Hearing this, the monkey troop cheered instantly, some even wiping their drooling mouths, absolutely tempted by the scent.
The white ape was a bit worried, because the multi-headed turtle had mentioned that black eagles lived there, presumably alongside some powerful demons. With the monkey troops being outnumbered and overpowered, they stood no chance against them.
Bang!
Lost in thought, the white ape had just turned around when he ran right into the multi-headed turtle's back.
Above, a Buddha head moved its eyelids but did not open its eyes.
The multi-headed turtle didn't seem annoyed, and instead pointed ahead with a claw, "Look, this is the great forest of the mountain range, with every type of fruit one can imagine, most of which you have probably never tasted."
Suddenly, the group fell silent.
Turning their heads to look back.
It turned out that not only the monkey troops but also the white ape and the golden monkey had their mouths wide open. The multi-headed turtle burst into laughter and said, "Look at you all, acting like country folk. Never mind, now that you are here, please have a feast!"
Unexpectedly, it was still a hospitable turtle.
But Sun Wukong always felt it was showing off.
Just like a wealthy landlord who owns a manor, first taking you around for a tour, then showing off his vast possessions until you are shocked, and then starts to act arrogant, giving away things that are, in his words, of no particular value.
Thinking this.
"Wow! So many..."
"It smells so good..."
"That one's a peach... so big!"
"And there are green pears..."
"Sour fruits... red fruits... purple fruits..."
Amid the exclamations, the monkey troop was looking all around, stretching their necks. Ever since they stepped into the forest, their mouths hadn't closed.
Sun Wukong was also somewhat amazed, thinking of the many orchards he had seen on television in his previous life, all kinds of them, yet none as spectacular as the one before his eyes.
The giant trees were neatly arranged, uniform in size, their trunks straight, and the tops as if trimmed flat by human hands, completely covering the sky, giving the feeling of walking into a green-domed greenhouse.
As the troop walked on, they discovered that each type of fruit tree was planted in rows according to color categories: green, red, blue, green, etc., spreading out in front.
As they walked, Sun Wukong suddenly planted his iron staff in front of him, sensing the sinister aura of demons approaching from within the forest.
The multi-headed turtle kept walking, passing through the outskirts, then through the middle rows of spirit fruit trees, and finally arrived at the back of the forest.
The sinister aura closely followed but did not show itself, as if fearing something.
Sun Wukong guessed it was because of the multi-headed turtle, and even suspected that this was its orchard, and that the black eagle mentioned by the turtle was actually the gardener sent here.
Now, seeing the master enter and noticing guests present, it stayed far behind, waiting to be summoned.
"Great King!"
At that moment, a monkey shouted out. Sun Wukong looked up and saw it was a thin monkey, "What's up?"
The thin monkey scratched its head and pointed to a location, saying, "I just saw a big bird fly over there!"
Sun Wukong nodded; he had noticed it, too.
It must have been the black eagle the multi-headed turtle had mentioned.
Although this thin monkey was not strong, its eyesight was exceptionally sharp, making it a good potential scout.
Patted the thin monkey on the head, Sun Wukong took note of him.
The other monkeys, somewhat envious, left the fruits to search for the big bird, but their nature was hard to change, and soon they were craving the fruits again.
No help for it, they were starving!
Flap...
At that moment, a whirlwind suddenly swept through the forest, followed by a terrifying demonic aura rushing forth, instantly targeting all the demons present.
"How dare you! How dare you barge into my Thousand Fruit Forest! Where are the eagle guards? Capture them for me!"
As the words fell, a flurry of eagle cries echoed through the forest, growing louder as they approached, soon surrounding the group with hundreds of black eagles.
"Kill them all!"