Chapter 87: Unmoved by the Eight Winds, The Mighty Bull Demon King

"You scoundrel, I'll send you to meet the King of Hell right now!"
Princess Iron Fan pinched the seventh strand of red silk at the handle of her plantain fan with her jade fingers, her lips moving silently. Suddenly, the fan, originally the size of an apricot blossom, stretched to twelve feet wide.
Her beautiful face was cold as frost. Gripping the fan with both hands, she summoned all her strength and waved it fiercely.
Whoosh—the dark wind surged!
Cao Kong was startled and immediately deduced the identity of the woman before him—she could only be Princess Iron Fan.
Without delay, he swallowed his fire sword, returning it to his heart. The plantain fan wielded by Princess Iron Fan was forged from the essence leaves of the lunar realm: one wave extinguished fire, two waves summoned wind, three waves brought rain.
This was a treasure born of heaven and earth, its power unfathomable. Cao Kong did not wish for a single sweep to extinguish the refined essence of Bingshuo fire he had just obtained.
In the blink of an eye, the dark wind arrived.
As for the might of this wind: cold and chilling, it changed the heavens and earth; invisible and formless, it was the wind of darkness. One sweep would cause gods and ghosts to tremble, and six hundred miles of mountains would quake.
Cao Kong's expression changed dramatically as he sensed the ferocity of the wind and prepared to burst forth with golden radiance, intending to counter it with his Eight Winds Divine Power.
But suddenly, the azure seed of divine power within his liver shone brightly, as if stimulated by the dark wind, unleashing the eight winds and settling into the eight positions of the liver's Bagua, making Cao Kong feel his organs solid and his skin and bones firm.
Whoosh, whoosh—
The dark wind tore through the mountains, uprooting trees and clearing the clouds from the sky, but not a corner of Cao Kong's robes moved.
Such is the meaning of "unmoved by the eight winds."
Cao Kong rejoiced, memorizing the trajectory of the divine power at this moment.
Princess Iron Fan's expression changed. "Impossible! One sweep should send a person eighty-four thousand miles!"
She waved the fan three more times, but Cao Kong stood unmoved, so Princess Iron Fan panicked completely. She tossed the fan into her mouth and hastily transformed into a ray of light to escape.
Meanwhile, two thousand miles away, a brawny giant with a fierce and imposing appearance was riding the clouds toward the Six Hundred Mile Drilling Mountain.
As he traveled, he rubbed green tangerine over his body to mask his scent, rehearsing excuses and pondering how to explain himself to his wife upon arrival.
Suddenly, he saw the dark wind rising in the west. Bull Demon King's face changed; he saw a streak of light fleeing in panic—that was his wife.
He roared, "I am the mighty Bull Demon King! Who dares to bully my wife? I'll swallow them whole!"
His shout shook the heavens, causing mountain gods and earth spirits along the way to feel their heads buzzing.

Even though Cao Kong was a thousand miles away, it felt as if thunder crashed beside his ears. Looking on, he was struck by the thick aura of demon power, never before seen—truly, the greatest demon of all.
He considered his own unfinished golden core. If he truly faced Bull Demon King, unless he revealed his background, he had no other means; thus, he wished to avoid confrontation.
He watched as Princess Iron Fan fled as a rainbow, then gently spoke, his voice clear in her ears, "Since you have given me a wind, I must offer something in return."
As he spoke, threads of breath escaped his lips, forming first eight spirals, then merging with the world, swelling into a vast force.
From all directions, winds arose—each different, tearing apart Princess Iron Fan's escape light and spinning her like a spindle, as whirling leaves blown northward.
Bull Demon King, anxious to protect his wife, rushed to her side, ignoring Cao Kong.
Soon, he reached the side of Princess Iron Fan, who hovered, unable to land, lifted by the Eight Winds. His eyes, clear as mirrors, flickered for a moment.
With his experience, he recognized the Eight Winds. To command one wind was already formidable; to command all eight, surely one had powerful backing, for he could not believe such power without support.
Yet he sensed the Eight Winds carried no killing intent, their control precise—overwhelming Princess Iron Fan but not harming her essence, merely inflicting superficial wounds.
He forced his way through the wind, using immense strength to pull Princess Iron Fan free.
Her hair and robes were in disarray. Seeing Bull Demon King beside her, she wept, "My lord, so many days have passed, and you haven't come!
A woman without her husband is lost; I was nearly harmed by that Daoist, and our child's future fortune is gone."
Bull Demon King cursed, "That Daoist is truly hateful. Wait here, my dear, while I hunt him down, peel his skin, break his bones, and avenge you!"
He stood to leave, but suddenly paused.
"My lord, hurry!"
Bull Demon King pointed west, embarrassed, "My dear, that Daoist is nowhere to be seen."
Princess Iron Fan looked, and indeed he was gone. She gritted her teeth. "That Daoist got lucky. If I see him again, he won't escape!"
Bull Demon King breathed a sigh of relief. He seemed coarse, but was actually shrewd.
His wife was unharmed, and without knowing the Daoist's background, there was no need to form a deadly enmity.
Princess Iron Fan sniffed, "Why do you smell of green tangerine? What have you been doing? You don't care about our child's fortune—that was the Bingshuo fire essence!"
Bull Demon King looked slightly awkward.
"A friend invited me, so I was delayed a few days. On the way, I found some green tangerines and couldn't resist eating a few. As for the Bingshuo fire essence, I will find it again later—our child won't be lacking."

"Really?"
"My dear, you know me—I love green tangerines."
······
Having acquired the Bingshuo fire, and after meeting Bull Demon King, Cao Kong had no desire to linger and flew directly to Hidden Mist Mountain.
‘My fate with the Bull Demon King’s family grows ever deeper. Previously, the True Immortal of the Wishful Staff was Red Boy’s uncle; now, I’ve made an enemy of Princess Iron Fan.’
Cao Kong pondered. Princess Iron Fan posed little threat, but Bull Demon King was fierce and difficult to deal with.
He must quickly form his golden core, lest he suffer greatly if they crossed paths again.
Soon, Hidden Mist Mountain appeared. Cao Kong descended, and the Golden Leopard and others came out to greet him.
To his surprise, beside the Golden Leopard stood a deer and a crane, calling out “Mountain Lord!”
“Hehe, brother, they’re quite clever—turned into spirits after you left. I thought they could help me gather herbs and refine pills, so I took them in as servants,” explained the Golden Leopard.
Cao Kong was not surprised. Hidden Mist Mountain was now rich in spiritual energy, so animals were far more likely to become spirits—such events would surely become common.
He laughed, “It’s spring now, and both crane and deer are seen in the mountains, which means ‘crane and deer together in spring’—a sign of good fortune. Since you have affinity with them, keep them, and teach them well.”
Thus, everyone gathered around Cao Kong, listening to his tales of the journey, though he concealed the matter of Bull Demon King to avoid worrying the Golden Leopard and others.
As he spoke, Cao Kong produced a gourd—the Great Dragon and Tiger Pill gifted by the True Daoist. He gave each spirit one pill; its power was strong, but except for the Golden Leopard, the others needed only one.
The little spirits were overjoyed. The naive deer and crane kept thanking him, while the clever foxes crowded forward—some offering tea, some massaging his back, some presenting spirit fruit, peeled and ready.
Cao Kong laughed heartily, finding it all immensely amusing.