Chapter 26: The Failure of a Food Lover's Development

In the distance, a few faint footsteps could be heard. Several wild boar soldiers who had just approached witnessed the giant body of their Wild Boar King being torn to pieces and immediately took to their heels, fleeing in a panic toward the wild boar den.

The Lustful Monkey supported his body with his golden staff, walking toward Zhou Yu step by step, and extended his right hand.

Zhou Yu smiled, took the monkey’s hand, and stood up.

"How are you?" the Lustful Monkey asked.

Zhou Yu leaned against the monkey, took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and said, "I won't die."

"That’s good then." The Lustful Monkey patted Zhou Yu.

"Let’s go to the wild boar den. It would be bad if those deranged boar soldiers decided to turn their blades on your kin," Zhou Yu said.

The Lustful Monkey nodded. Supporting himself with the golden staff in one hand and carrying Zhou Yu with the other, he began walking toward the wild boar den deep within the Wild Boar Forest.

Although both were utterly exhausted, they persisted, driven by an indomitable spirit that refused to admit defeat or give up.

The mass of black energy in Zhou Yu’s dantian provided a steady stream of power; his unsteady gait gradually grew firmer, and a faint flush returned to his pale face. The golden staff in the Lustful Monkey's hand similarly supplied him with energy, causing his physical strength to surge wildly.

Suddenly, Zhou Yu stopped. He looked back, puzzled, and said, "Logically, every demon beast should have a demon core within its body. Why haven't we found a single one after killing two demon kings in a row?"

The Lustful Monkey replied, "Demon cores are inside the body. Both times, I used the 'Chrysanthemum-Exploding Technique' to kill them, and the golden staff pierced right through where their demon cores would be."

Zhou Yu sighed with regret. "If only we could have consumed their demon cores; I fear we would have already reached the rank of Demon King by now."

The Lustful Monkey asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

"Let's walk and talk." Zhou Yu and the monkey continued forward, picking up their pace.

"Don't you know that consuming demon cores can increase the energy within one's body?"

"I've never heard of such a thing."

"How is that possible? Every human cultivator knows this."

"I really don't know. There has never been such a concept among the demon tribes."

Hearing this, Zhou Yu became suspicious. He had originally been able to withstand the bitter cold at the peak of Mist Mountain only after consuming half of a Snow Fox demon core, and later, the demon core of the Giant Bear Demon General had essentially saved his life. The efficacy of demon cores was self-evident. Why would the Lustful Monkey claim such a concept didn't exist among demons?

The Lustful Monkey wouldn't lie to him. Thinking about it, it must be that this practice was being intentionally concealed within the demon race.

"For a demon beast, a demon core is more important than life itself. If the core is destroyed, there is no chance of survival. For as long as I can remember, when our demon tribes fight, the focus is always on destroying the opponent's core. Basically, no demon core is ever left behind," the Lustful Monkey explained.

Zhou Yu nodded. That might be part of the reason, but the practice of consuming cores to enhance strength still seemed to him like something deliberately hidden.

He then explained the utility of demon cores to the Lustful Monkey.

The monkey exclaimed in surprise, "There is such a thing?"

Zhou Yu said, "Have I ever lied to you?"

The Lustful Monkey remained silent.

"We'll catch a few pig demons later and put it to the test," Zhou Yu said.

The Lustful Monkey nodded, a flicker of desire in his eyes; his determination to become stronger was no less than Zhou Yu’s.

As they spoke, the pair passed through the woods and arrived at the heart of the Wild Boar Forest, where they heard the sound of rushing water. Following a path worn down by years of travel and circling a dense thicket, a waterfall suddenly came into view.

The massive waterfall hung from a high cliff like a long strip of white silk, plunging into a deep pool below. Countless water droplets scattered, making the surrounding air feel significantly more humid. Perhaps due to the abundant water, the trees around the waterfall still retained a touch of green despite it being late autumn.

Zhou Yu smacked his lips and said, "This reminds me of a line: Nongfu Spring, it's a little sweet."

The Lustful Monkey looked around and discovered several caves opposite the waterfall, with many wild boar soldiers lined up neatly in front of them.

"It seems we’ve finally encountered a tribe that understands the rules," the Lustful Monkey remarked with emotion. "This is a standard formation to welcome a new king."

Zhou Yu looked where the monkey was pointing. Rows of wild boars stood holding various tattered weapons, their formation barely passable. Yet, hearing the monkey, it seemed this was actually considered quite orderly among demon tribes.

The man and the monkey walked toward the boar den.

Before they had even drawn near, the hundreds of boar soldiers knelt down in a scattered fashion, bowing to Zhou Yu and the Lustful Monkey. "Long live the Great King!"

The Lustful Monkey touched the back of his head, feeling somewhat proud. He hurried forward, about to express his grand sentiments, when he suddenly remembered his kin were still being held prisoner. His expression darkened as he asked, "Where are the monkeys from Craggy Ridge?"

A particularly fat wild boar stepped out from the ranks—evidently a minor leader—and reported, "Reporting to the Great King! The monkeys from Craggy Ridge were taken away by the rebel army."

"What rebel army?" the Lustful Monkey asked, startled.

The fat boar trembled slightly, his voice shaking. "A faction of rebels, unwilling to follow the Monkey King, took the monkeys from Craggy Ridge. They shouldn't have gone far yet..."

The Lustful Monkey was furious. "Then why didn't you leave with them?"

The fat boar suddenly wailed and began kowtowing repeatedly, kicking up dust. "This humble one dared not!"

The Lustful Monkey wanted to press further, but Zhou Yu intervened, asking directly, "In which direction did they go?"

The fat boar shivered. After a moment of silent struggle, he gritted his teeth and pointed to the east of the waterfall. "They went in that direction!"

Unlike the Lustful Monkey, Zhou Yu had been observing carefully since discovering this group of soldiers. Although their formation was somewhat orderly, their clothing and weapons looked as if they had been scavenged from a dump. Moreover, the boars were of varying sizes, ages, and conditions—some were even leaning on crutches. This was a genuine troupe of the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.

The Wild Boar Forest was, after all, a gathering place for the wild boar race and had been ruled by a demon king. It shouldn't have looked like this. Even the Wild Ox Valley, where the Wild Ox King was weaker than the Wild Boar King, had tens of thousands of demon soldiers.

Even if, as the Wild Boar King had said before he died, the boar race had suffered persecution during the era of the Black Mountain Old Demon, leading to a decline in their strength, it was impossible that they only had a few hundred low-quality soldiers left.

"How many of them are there?" Zhou Yu asked.

The fat boar was clearly not valued by the previous king. He hadn't fled before the new masters arrived, opting instead to surrender. Though initially hesitant, he was now in too deep to turn back. "There are about two thousand of them. They are the elite of our race."

"You didn't leave because they thought you were dead weight?" Zhou Yu tore away the boars' mask of shame. He intended to strike them down completely before offering a reward, ensuring their absolute loyalty.

The fat boar was a tough character; he gritted his teeth and admitted, "The Great King is right!"

After saying this, the boar bowed his head deeply and remained silent.

In the demon world, the strong are respected. Usually, when frictions arise, the respective demon kings face off. The loser either dies and their tribe is annexed, or they concede when defeat is certain. While they might save their lives, their prestige within the tribe plummets, and they are forced to cede territory or pay tribute. Thus, large-scale conflicts are rare, and common soldiers rarely participate in battles involving Demon Generals or higher.

This ancient tradition preserved the strength of the demon race, but it didn't mean they were free of strife. In reality, battles and killings between demons were common, mostly among those of equal rank.

"According to tradition, they shouldn't have left. What exactly is going on?" Zhou Yu approached the fat boar, his tone growing colder. Standing beside the much larger boar, he made the creature feel a deep, instinctive need to look up to him.

The boar no longer hid anything, using concise language to explain the situation.

It turned out there was another wild boar Demon General in the forest whose cultivation had recently soared, nearing the Demon King level. When the Wild Boar King was killed, this general saw an opportunity. Unwilling to submit to the monkey and Zhou Yu, he incited the elite soldiers to leave.

To the elite boars, following a kin who was about to become a Demon King was clearly better than serving an outsider. So they made their choice, abandoning all the old, weak, sick, and disabled boars, intending to head to a nearby mountain.

After finishing, the fat boar wiped the sweat from his forehead and lowered his head again.

The Lustful Monkey had cooled down by now. He frowned, unsure of what to do.

"Why did they take the monkeys?" the Lustful Monkey asked.

The fat boar, realizing that this golden-haired killer carrying the golden staff was clearly there to save the monkeys, said cautiously, "They are going to live on Fruit-Flower Mountain near the Fox tribe; they naturally need labor to build their dwellings..."

The Lustful Monkey understood—they were being treated as slaves. His anger flared again. He slammed his golden staff into the ground and roared, "They deceive the monkeys too far!"

Zhou Yu nodded. "In that case, your kin should be safe for the time being. We will rest, recover our strength, and then go pay a visit to that fellow who has one foot in the door of the Demon King rank."

The Lustful Monkey was truly too exhausted to move. After weighing the situation, he realized his kin were indeed safe for the moment and nodded in agreement.

The fat boar hurriedly ordered dozens of soldiers to bring food for Zhou Yu and the Lustful Monkey.

Before long, various fruits and some pheasants and ducks with their necks snapped were brought over. Zhou Yu took a look; the birds hadn't even been plucked, so he only ate the fruit.

The Lustful Monkey grabbed a pheasant, plucked a few feathers, exposed the raw meat, and bit into it.

Watching the Lustful Monkey eat with his mouth covered in fresh blood, Zhou Yu sighed, "It seems the plan to raise a foodie has failed."