Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

"Monkey, stop!" Jiang Liu yelled, halting Sun Wukong before charging forward with his Demon Subduing Staff.

With a single strike, a Tiger Demon collapsed to the ground with a pained scream.

Notification: Gained 260 Experience Points, 30 coins.

Notification: Current quest completion 9/100.

"It's only been five days since I accepted the class change quest, and I've already encountered numerous Demon Creatures. It seems that outside the borders of Great Tang, there are noticeably more demons," Jiang Liu murmured to himself after slaying another Tiger Demon.

Thinking carefully, perhaps it was indeed because there were more Demon Creatures outside of Great Tang.

However, there was another possibility that the Imperial Court of Great Tang had suppressed the Demon Kings in all directions, forcing those demons not to harm the Mortal World, making them seem fewer.

Of course, for Jiang Liu, the increase in Demon Creatures wasn't bad news; there were more targets to fight, which meant more Experience Points to gain. This was a good thing.

However, whether it was just his imagination, these past few days, Jiang Liu noticed that most of the Demon Creatures he encountered were tigers.

"Master, I have a question, though I'm not sure if I should ask it," Sun Wukong said, leaning on his Golden Hoop staff.

"What is it?" Jiang Liu replied, after checking his inventory space, still without any special drops. He turned to look at Sun Wukong.

"I feel like along this road, it isn't me protecting you, but rather it seems like you are protecting me."

Although these days, being constantly flattered by Jiang Liu had been comforting, since he came out of the Five Elements Mountain, Sun Wukong had not had a proper fight, making him restless.

Each time they encountered a Demon, his master would stop him from fighting, which left Sun Wukong feeling incredibly frustrated.

"On our journey to the Western Heaven, which spans eighty-one thousand miles, there will be countless powerful demons along the way. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to shine," Jiang Liu said, patting the small, thin monkey on the shoulder with a fatherly, earnest attitude.

The master and disciple continued their journey to the West, but shortly after, they spotted a small village in the distance, home to roughly twenty or thirty households.

Jiang Liu spoke up, "Alright, there's a village ahead. We should stock up on some rice, flour, and condiments, and maybe borrow some needles and thread to sew up your tiger skin skirt."

"Master, I told you, I want tiger skin shorts, not a skirt," Sun Wukong argued, walking alongside Jiang Liu.

"No, you want it."

…

Setting aside how Jiang Liu and Sun Wukong bickered, they soon arrived at the entrance of the village.

Yet, standing there, Jiang Liu's brow furrowed slightly.

"What's wrong?" Sun Wukong asked, noticing that Jiang Liu was not moving and had no intention of walking in.

"Wukong, don't you think there's something off about this village?" Jiang Liu's expression grew more solemn.

Jiang Liu and Gaoyang had once secluded themselves in the village for two months. Familiar with the village life, it was precisely because of this familiarity that Jiang Liu felt something was amiss with this village.

"Amiss?", upon hearing this, Sun Wukong looked toward the center of the village, a golden light flashing in his eyes. After scanning the area, Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "There are no demon creatures in this village, nothing seems amiss."

"Don't you think it's a bit too quiet? It's one thing to lack the sounds of children, but there's not even the crowing of chickens or barking of dogs," Jiang Liu shook his head and said, walking deeper into the village.

Indeed, the village was in complete disarray, as if it had gone through a fierce battle. Traces of blood could still be seen on the ground, but not a single person was present, not even cattle, sheep, chickens, or dogs.

"This village has been attacked by demons," Sun Wukong observed the devastated state of the village and his expression grew much more serious.

"Indeed, if it were bandits, they wouldn't cart away the corpses. It must have been a demon attack," Jiang Liu nodded, feeling a chill in his heart.

In this desolate world, demon creatures roamed, and although there were cultivators among humanity to counter them, for ordinary people, it was a world where life was as frail as grass, often subjected to demon attacks, leaving no survivors in a village.

"Wukong, check if there are any survivors," Jiang Liu said, though he felt the possibility of finding any survivors was slim. Nonetheless, he decided to search.

"Understood, Master," Sun Wukong nodded. He wasn't going to wander idly like ordinary people in search; instead, he listened intently, using his divine skills.

Soon, Sun Wukong spoke, "Master, there are still people alive."

In the midst of speaking, the monkey leapt forward, and Jiang Liu quickly followed, soon arriving at a well. The monkey pulled an elderly man in his sixties or seventies out of the well.

Looking at the old man, who was barely alive and close to death, soaking wet, Jiang Liu could see that his health bar had only a sliver of health left.

Raising his palm, he activated the Guanyin Mantra skill, and a green glow slowly entered the old man's body, restoring a portion of his health bar.

Gradually, the old man came to his senses and upon seeing Sun Wukong, he cried out in horror, "Ah, demon, demon!"

"There there, old man, don't be afraid. This monkey is my disciple, we are not demons," Jiang Liu stepped forward and softly spoke.

With Sun Wukong's fearsome appearance and his thunderous mouth, it was indeed scary, but seeing Jiang Liu's clean and polite demeanor, the old man calmed down considerably. He then looked around at the tragic scene in the village and burst into tears.

"Old man, don't rush to cry. Let me ask you, what kind of demon did you encounter here?" Jiang Liu said, trying to comfort him.

"Indeed, our Xiaotian Village has always been peaceful, a paradise all its own. But last night, a horde of demons attacked our village, and these demons, they eat people. I thought, even if I died I wouldn't let these demons get the better of me, so I jumped into the well. I never expected to survive," the old man narrated tearfully the ordeal the village had faced.

"A horde of demons?", upon hearing this, Jiang Liu's eyes flickered.

Not to mention these demons' ferocity, aside from dispatching these demons as a service to the people, even if it were just to level up from killing monsters and complete his class transfer mission, Jiang Liu couldn't just stand by anymore.

"Don't worry old man, seeing how there is not a single person left in the village, it's possible the villagers weren't all killed, but were taken by the demons. My disciple and I possess some means for subduing demons and eliminating evil. Shall we go and see if we can rescue the villagers?" Jiang Liu said after a moment's thought, trying to offer some consolation.

"Really!?", Jiang Liu's words, like a thread of hope in utter despair, brightened the old man's eyes. He immediately began to bow continuously towards Jiang Liu, "Thank you, Mage, thank you, Mage."

Alert: Mission "Exterminate Demon Horde" triggered. Mission requirement: Exterminate the demon horde that attacked Xiaotian Village. Mission success: Reward 12,000 Experience Points, Green Lotus Staff. Failure punishment: None.