Chapter 22: All rivers and mountains bow in submission.

"The little monsters inside the dirty cave were terrified when they saw this scene. Their faces turned pale, and they knelt on the ground, trembling, afraid to look at Sun Wukong.

Even the Worldly Demon King looked confused. He had thought it would be a tough battle, but unexpectedly, it ended so easily. He muttered to himself, 'A powerhouse at the third level of Earth Immortal was killed like this?'

Sun Wukong kicked the still dazed Worldly Demon King and said, 'Now that the Dragon King of the Water Cavern has been killed by me, go and occupy his Dragon Cave to prevent others from taking advantage.'

Upon hearing this, the Worldly Demon King respectfully replied, 'Yes, Great King!' He rushed into the cave with his subordinates, heading towards the Dragon Cave.

In less than half a day, the leaderless Dragon Cave was captured by the Worldly Demon King.

Sun Wukong returned to the Water Curtain Cave and continued drinking and chatting with the Bull Demon King.

The Bull Demon King said, 'Brother, can I have a look at your iron rod?'

Sun Wukong handed over the Golden Cudgel with a cheerful expression and reminded, 'Brother Bull, feel free to look, but be careful, this iron rod is a bit heavy.'

The Bull Demon King reached out to take the Golden Cudgel, saying, 'Brother, you underestimate me. I still have some strength.'

As soon as the Bull Demon King received the Golden Cudgel, his wrist sank slightly, but he still firmly held the cudgel. A surprised expression appeared on his face as he said, 'Brother, this cudgel is quite heavy. Fighting with it, one might die from a knock or get injured from a graze. It's indeed a treasure!'

Sun Wukong replied, 'Brother Bull, your strength is impressive. This 13,500-kilogram heavy cudgel looks like a toy in your hands.'

The Bull Demon King laughed heartily, carefully examining the Golden Cudgel, and asked, 'Brother, this cudgel is adorned with dragon patterns and phoenix characters. It looks quite beautiful. I wonder if it has any other magical abilities?'

Sun Wukong answered with a loud voice, 'Since Brother Bull wants to see the magic of my Golden Cudgel, I'll demonstrate.'

After that, Sun Wukong took back the Golden Cudgel, flew outside the Water Curtain Cave, and found a spacious place.

He held the Golden Cudgel in his hand and shouted, 'Small! Small! Small!' The Golden Cudgel immediately shrank slowly until it became the size of an embroidery needle.

The Bull Demon King said, 'Shrinking the treasure is nothing special. How can you fight with a weapon the size of an embroidery needle? It would be better if it could grow larger.'

Sun Wukong responded, 'Big! Big! Big!' The Golden Cudgel instantly enlarged, becoming thick and long, reaching two zhang in length.

The Bull Demon King then asked, 'Is this the largest it can get, or can it become even bigger?'

Sun Wukong held the Golden Cudgel in his hand, used a supernatural power that defied the heavens and earth, bent his waist, and shouted, 'Long!' His body slowly grew, becoming towering and enormous, with a head the size of Mount Tai, a waist like a lofty mountain, eyes like lightning, a mouth like a blood basin, and teeth like sword halberds.

The Golden Cudgel in his hand reached up to the thirty-third heaven and down to the eighteenth layer of hell. It seemed like a giant opening the heavens, majestic and powerful. A suffocating aura emanated from him, making the tigers, leopards, wolves, and all the monsters on the mountain, as well as the seventy-two Demon Kings, bow in fear, trembling with their souls scattered!

In the east, the Azure Dragon, upon seeing this scene, roared, joyfully unfurling its coiled dragon body and soaring above the white clouds, leaving Flower Fruit Mountain.

Immediately after, a colorful phoenix and a qilin were seen flying out from their respective abodes, their eyes also revealing ecstatic joy.

"Three thousand years, we've been guarding Flower Fruit Mountain for three thousand years. Now that the monkey has achieved the Dao and become an Earth Immortal, we can finally regain our freedom, finally leave this place!" The qilin shouted joyfully, elated.

Meanwhile, on Sun Wukong's side, he had already dispelled the supernatural power, and the Golden Cudgel had returned to its normal size."

The Bull Demon King widened his bull-like eyes and said, "Brother, indeed you have incredible magical powers! What a precious treasure!"

Sun Wukong replied, "Brother Bull, your magical prowess spans the heavens, and you've long achieved the level of a Great Luo. Don't mock me, the younger one."

The Bull Demon King waved his hand, saying, "Brother, your cultivation time is short. With time, achieving the Great Luo level is just a matter of course."

Returning to their respective abodes, they were seated when a little monkey came to report, "Great King, good news! All seventy-two Demon Kings from Flower Fruit Mountain have gathered outside the door, seeking an audience with the Great King, expressing their desire to submit under the Great King's command."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's face lit up, and he said, "Let's go! Let's meet them."

Walking out of the Water Curtain Cave, they saw various Demon Kings standing densely in front. As soon as Sun Wukong appeared, they trembled with fear. Kneeling on the ground, they shouted, "We humbly request to submit to the Monkey King. We hope the Great King will accept us."

Sun Wukong, seeing this, laughed heartily and said, "Get up, all of you. Your wish is granted. From now on, you are all under the command of Sun Wukong."

After that, he gave orders, and a grand celebration began, with the sound of resounding bronze gongs. They prepared sumptuous dishes, poured fine wine, and had a feast with the various demons.

On that day, he appointed four old monkeys as generals, tasking them to lead the demons and monsters on Flower Fruit Mountain, training them daily.

With all affairs on Flower Fruit Mountain handed over to the old monkeys, Sun Wukong accompanied the Bull Demon King to travel across the four seas, visiting renowned members of the demon race.

One day, the Bull Demon King said, "Brother, I've been away from home for many years. It's time to go back and see your sister-in-law. What are your plans?"

Without hesitation, Sun Wukong replied, "Of course, I'll go with Brother Bull. I must pay a visit to my sister-in-law."

He was particularly curious about the plantain fan in Princess Iron Fan's hands.

The Bull Demon King said, "That's reasonable. Let's go to Mount Jilei in West Niu Hezhou to see your sister-in-law."

With that, the two soared through the clouds and mist, heading straight to Mount Jilei in West Niu Hezhou.