Chapter 45: The Roc Demon King, Defeated!
The battle between the Monkey King and the Bull Demon King continued.
To Yu Qiye's astonishment, however, he unexpectedly spotted an unfamiliar golden trait on the Monkey King.
"Is this a newly awakened innate talent?"
A look of surprise crossed Yu Qiye's face.
[Growing Stronger Through Battle (Gold)—As a rare anomaly of heaven and earth, highly skilled in combat, growing ever stronger with each fight, and progressing with astonishing speed.]
Seeing this, a sudden wave of understanding dawned upon Yu Qiye.
No wonder the Monkey King could trade blows with anyone he met later on!
First the Macaque Spirit, the Flood Demon King, and now the Bull Demon King.
In the future, there would also be the fierce deity Nezha, the God of War Erlang...
With a trait like this, coupled with his nearly endless stamina, he was truly exceptionally difficult to deal with.
...
Just at that moment, however, Yu Qiye abruptly felt an intensely burning gaze fixed upon him.
It was the gaze of the Roc Demon King.
His eagle-like eyes stared at Yu Qiye, and fighting spirit surged within them.
"I have heard that Brother Sky Crow possesses the ultimate speed of heaven and earth. Would you care for a bout?"
The Roc Demon King invited.
"Very well."
A single, simple word, and the wings behind Yu Qiye flared outward.
Boom!
In an instant, feathers as black as ink scattered across the firmament as a dark figure suddenly darted upward.
Seeing this, the Roc Demon King also spread the wings upon his back.
His wings were composed of golden plumage.
They looked as though they had been forged from precious metal.
As the twin wings unfurled, they slashed through the sky like razor-sharp blades.
"What is that?"
Exclaimed a demon in shock.
One black, one gold, two streaks of light sliced through the sky and ocean in a split second.
They chased after one another, intertwining continuously.
Yet every single intersection sparked brilliant flashes of fire.
Surging shockwaves rolled outward, sweeping across the surrounding realm.
"It's the Roc Demon King, famed for possessing the ultimate speed of heaven and earth, but who is that other figure? How could his speed possibly be this fast?"
"Are you kidding me? Can someone actually match the Roc Demon King in pure speed?"
Exclamations rang out one after another as the gathered demons looked on in shock.
Even the Flood Demon King and the Macaque Spirit narrowed their eyes slightly.
"Both this Monkey King and Brother Sky Crow are far from ordinary."
The Macaque Spirit could not help but voice his exclamation.
"Far from ordinary is an understatement."
The Flood Demon King recalled how, initially, these two fellows could barely manage to hold their own in a grueling fight against him.
Yet in a mere half-month, they had already made him feel a trace of threat.
As for now... the Flood Demon King could only say that he lacked absolute confidence in defeating them.
One could easily imagine just how terrifyingly fast these two brothers were progressing.
...
Bang, bang, bang...
Impact followed impact as Yu Qiye's sharp claws clashed against the long spear held by the Roc Demon King.
The Roc Demon King excelled in spear-play.
Furthermore, his mastery of the spear had long since reached the realm of perfection.
A flash of cold light arrived first, followed by the spear striking forth like a dragon.
Yet Yu Qiye's pair of razor-sharp claws were by no means inferior.
His five fingers exerted force, capable of piercing through anything.
With every lift of his claws, howling gales whipped backward, and a fierce suction pressure was unleashed.
However, rather than focusing solely on their repeated clashes, Yu Qiye and the Roc Demon King seemed far more interested in testing their speed against one another.
Flapping their wings, their velocity continued to climb higher and higher.
The air had long since been torn apart, leaving behind roars akin to sonic booms.
They darted into the clouds one after the other, instantly shredding the cloud cover and leaving two parallel white wakes in their trail.
They plunged toward the vast ocean, and even before they fully touched the surface, towering waves scores or even hundreds of feet high erupted from the sea.
"Can you go any faster?"
Suddenly, the Roc Demon King called out.
"Naturally."
With that, Yu Qiye activated his red trait—Lightning Fast.
Wisps of electric current began to twine around his wings.
His entire body became enveloped within a brilliant crackle of electricity.
Boom.
His already blistering speed surged once more.
Viewed from afar, he looked like a bolt of lightning that flashed and vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Hahaha..."
With a long, ringing laugh, the Roc Demon King looked at Yu Qiye with a newfound glint in his eye.
How could this fellow's speed be so terrifying?
Still, he could no longer hold back his true strength.
Otherwise, he feared he would become the laughingstock of the other demons.
The bloodline within his body churned violently.
An ancient aura surged and circulated through his frame.
"Screech..."
A sudden, piercing cry split the metal and shattered stone.
Vaguely, a golden phantom could be seen manifesting behind the Roc Demon King.
It resembled a colossal golden bird, possessing an exceptionally majestic and divine bearing.
Without a doubt, it was the legendary divine bird—the Golden-Winged Great Roc.
Boom!
In an instant, the Roc Demon King transformed into a golden streak of light, hurtling straight toward Yu Qiye.
...
The brief sparring session finally came to an end.
The Monkey King and the Bull Demon King descended from the sky.
And by this point, an observant eye would notice that these two fellows already had their arms draped over each other's shoulders, acting like sworn brothers.
"Hahaha, younger brother Monkey, your strength is unquestionable."
The Bull Demon King praised.
"Credit goes to elder brother Bull as well."
The Monkey King grinned widely, looking thoroughly delighted.
Though no clear victor had been decided between them, they had already gained a mutual appreciation for one another.
The Monkey King acknowledged the Bull Demon King's formidable strength.
While the Bull Demon King recognized the Monkey King's boundless potential.
It was certain that before long, this Monkey King would be able to genuinely contend with him on equal footing.
Just at that moment, however, as if suddenly realizing something, the Monkey King spoke up:
"Elder brother Flood Demon, where is my brother?"
"Are you referring to the Sky Crow King?"
The Flood Demon King raised a hand and pointed toward the heavens.
"Bang..."
A sudden collision flashed by, resembling a spark of fire born from lightning.
Vaguely, two streaks of light could be seen chasing each other across the sky.
The next moment, however, those two figures abruptly vanished, becoming utterly impossible to track.
It was Yu Qiye and the Roc Demon King; they seemed to have stepped into an entirely different realm.
A realm of 'ultimate speed.'
"Such terrifying speed."
At the sight, the Bull Demon King's pupils constricted.
Powerful though he was, speed was simply not his forte.
In other words, against the two fellows darting through the sky, he was utterly helpless.
Yet it was not just the Bull Demon King; even the Flood Demon King, the Macaque Spirit, and the newly arrived Spirit-Macaque King and Lion-Camel King fell completely silent.
As the saying went—of all the martial arts in the world, only speed cannot be broken.
This adage applied just as well in this world.
Though each of these demon kings possessed their own formidable arts, they all seemed powerless against the two entities tearing through the sky above.
"The Roc Demon King is famed for possessing the ultimate speed of heaven and earth, and such velocity is within my comprehension, but who is that other one?"
Suddenly, a deeply muffled voice resounded through the air.
Following the sound, a towering figure crowned with a massive lion's head, possessing an immensely robust physique and a long saber strapped across his back, wore a look of utter puzzlement.
This was the Lion-Camel King.
Ranked fourth among the future Seven Great Saints.
Known by the moniker of the 'Mountain-Moving Great Sage.'
His physical strength was peerless and truly staggering.
Yet right now, he was somewhat bewildered.
Having one Roc Demon King bearing the title of 'ultimate speed of heaven and earth' was already troublesome enough.
Now, another one had popped up?
"That is the Sky Crow King, sworn brother to the Monkey King."
The Flood Demon King explained from the side.
"Heh heh..."
The Monkey King chuckled aloud before chiming in:
"Ain't my brother impressive? Even old Sun here finds this fellow quite a handful."
Though he said that.
For some reason, everyone present could hear the unconcealed note of pride in the Monkey King's tone.
Right at that instant,
"Screech..."
A sudden, mournful cry exploded across the high heavens.
Before the astounded gazes of all the demons, a golden figure plummeted from the sky like a falling meteor, smashing heavily into the ground.
And that figure was none other than the Roc Demon King.
"The Roc Demon King actually lost?"
A voice rang out from somewhere, snapping everyone out of their stupor.
The Roc Demon King,
That revered King of Birds famed for possessing the 'ultimate speed of heaven and earth,' had actually lost.
How could this be possible?