Battle for the Monkey King

“Clang, clang, clang! Clang, clang, clang!”

Under the relentless, ceaseless assault from Yue Ye Si, Ji Jie found herself rapidly nearing her breaking point.

The demoness proved an incredibly formidable opponent; Ji Jie even suspected Yue Ye Si was holding back, for otherwise, her heart would have surely been gouged out long ago.

A sharp ‘ping!’ resonated through the air. Ji Jie gritted her teeth, swiftly rolling backward as the platinum star she had conjured by her side shattered into fragments.

Her spiritual energy had been utterly depleted, making it impossible to sustain her previous offensive.

Thankfully, her desperate delaying tactics had, by now, surely allowed Tou to escape to a safe distance.

It was time for her to retreat as well, to seek refuge within the monkey den where the simians and the Demon Heart Seed Xiao Yuan were locked in a gruesome battle, blood already flowing like a river.

A Blood-Slaying Sword, forged from such a deluge of blood, would undoubtedly wield immense power!

Without a moment’s hesitation, she blasted through the rubble blocking her path and sprinted directly into the cavern.

****

“Wah ha! What is this marvelous thing? I feel my injuries are significantly better!”

Tou could scarcely believe it; after the Little Monkey fed him the pill Ji Jie had provided, his myriad wounds were already halfway healed.

The dizziness had vanished, the pain from his wounds had receded, and even his spiritual energy had recovered by a considerable eighty to ninety percent! What a pity there wasn’t more of the medicine; another half-bottle, and his injuries would have been fully restored.

“Chirp! Chirp!”

The Little Monkey had led him to this particular mountain cave via a hidden passage, a secluded chamber perched higher than the rest, resembling a second-story alcove within the vast cavern.

Thick vines obscured the entrance, making it nearly impossible to discern anything from the main cavern below. Yet, from their vantage point, the scene unfolding beneath them was strikingly clear!

The Little Monkey appeared deeply concerned by the battle raging beneath them, prompting Tou to cautiously lean closer as well.

The sight could only be described as utterly gruesome.

The Demon Heart Seed Big Black Dog had slaughtered a multitude of monkeys, their lifeless bodies nearly carpeting the cavern floor.

Currently locked in combat with the Big Black Dog were a colossal five-meter-tall ape and a horde of heartless monkeys, shambling like the living dead.

The five-meter ape, clearly a Golden Body Realm cultivator, was, Tou surmised without difficulty, the very target of their mission from the Exorcism Department.

It was the Monkey King of this domain!

As for the monkeys that should have been long dead, Tou sensed a forbidden art at play, though he could not detect anyone controlling them.

“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

When the Big Black Dog tore off one of the Monkey King’s arms, the Little Monkey cried out in a panicked chorus of chirps.

Having once walked through the gates of hell, Tou now felt a newfound composure within himself, far surpassing his former self.

He remained perfectly calm, beginning to piece together the information he had gathered.

Recalling how the Little Monkey had previously commanded the other simians, Tou deduced that she must be the Monkey King’s daughter, or at least someone of similar standing.

The Little Monkey’s concern for her father was, of course, entirely natural.

The Little Monkey had played a crucial role in his survival thus far, and Tou felt it was high time he repaid her kindness.

He gently patted the Little Monkey’s shoulder, declaring:

“It’s alright,” he reassured, “With me here, your monkey father won’t die!”

“Chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

Tou had steeled his resolve to aid the monkeys below, but upon hearing his declaration, the Little Monkey immediately blocked his path, frantically waving her arms as if to deter him.

And indeed, she was right! Tou’s cultivation was merely at the initial stage of the Spiritual Vein Realm; he might not even be able to defeat an ordinary monkey down there. His intervention would simply be a feast for the Big Black Dog.

“Hmph, hmph! Don’t worry about me, and don’t underestimate me either! My master is, after all…”

The mere mention of his master sent a shiver through Tou’s heart. To witness Four-Master transformed into such a monstrous entity, driven to kill her own disciple, stirred a complex, tragic mix of emotions within him.

Moreover, his most prudent course of action at this moment was to flee! Tou held firm in his belief that once he returned to the Magic Immortal Castle, his other masters would undoubtedly be able to restore Four-Master to her true self.

Yet, Tou refused to flee! To return in such a manner would only signify his weakness, a stark reminder of how far he was from becoming a truly independent adult.

Tou had never once admitted defeat! He was determined to find a way, to use his own strength to restore Four-Master to her senses.

First and foremost, he could not simply stand by and watch others perish. In the brief moment of his hesitation, the Monkey King had already been swarmed by a multitude of reanimated, zombie-like monkeys.

It appeared the individual wielding the forbidden art intended to capitalize on the chaos, transforming the Monkey King into another puppet corpse under their control.

Tou could no longer afford to hesitate. Offering the Little Monkey a reassuring glance, he then swiftly slid down the vines.

With a resounding ‘thud,’ Tou landed gracefully on the ground, making a spectacular entrance.

His unbound hair proving quite bothersome, he tore off a ruffle from one of his sleeves and used it to tie his hair into a makeshift ponytail.

“Ruyi Jingu Bang!”

The Imperial Tool, Ruyi Jingu Bang, materialized once more in his grasp. Now in the Spiritual Vein Realm, he could finally utilize its fundamental abilities.

These encompassed basic shape-shifting and formidable physical strikes.

Tou had once read a book describing a three-dimensional maneuver gear used to combat giants, a device depicted as incredibly flashy and effective.

He had meticulously mimicked its underlying principles, crafting a strikingly similar combat strategy of his own.

Transforming the Ruyi Jingu Bang into a rope-like length, he coiled it around his waist. Then, he commanded two long strands of the material to shoot forward.

Once the ropes secured themselves to the cavern wall, he used their tensile strength to propel his body rapidly forward. With his Imperial Tool feeling like an extension of his own being, its manipulation proved remarkably effortless.

At this moment, if Tou had wielded two blades, he would have appeared quite formidable! However, Tou had no fondness for swords or knives; his preference lay with objects that were both substantial and large.

This explained why, when he had first utilized the Imperial Tool embryo, his chosen weapon had manifested as a staff. Tou simply adored the versatility of a staff that could grow both immense and thick.

Tou was currently battling zombie monkeys, mere small fry. The most ideal weapon for this task was a thick, sturdy, and pointed staff!

With a single swing of his staff, he could undoubtedly clear a wide swath of them!

Within the confines of the mountain cave, the rock walls offered endless possibilities for leverage. Tou launched himself into the air with an exuberant cry, a massive, pointed staff clutched firmly in his hands.

To test its power, he targeted two isolated zombie monkeys. As the ropes zipped over their heads, Tou, wielding his colossal staff, crashed directly into them!

Immediately, the mangled remains of monkeys, torn into four pieces, flew outward!

This was far more potent than merely ‘tearing devils apart with one’s bare hands’!

It was overwhelmingly powerful! The sheer impact force, combined with the staff’s immense weight and its sharpened tip, made Tou feel as though he could cleave even a mountain peak in two.

Having witnessed the formidable might of his Imperial Tool, Tou carved a path of destruction, slaying every obstacle in his way. After rendering most of the zombie monkeys incapable of further movement, he expertly maneuvered his ropes, positioning himself directly above the Monkey King.

The Monkey King’s condition was dire; half of its body was already consumed by black, lightning-like patterns, and a scarlet, malevolent blood-eye pulsed ominously between its brows, radiating an aura of pure evil.

‘A magic puppet? Yet, it doesn’t quite resemble one.’

Tou furrowed his slender brows. This forbidden art bore a striking resemblance to a technique called [Magic Puppet] that Four-Master had once described to him.

It involved imprinting the caster’s blood seal onto the opponent’s forehead to seize control of their mind.

The Monkey King continued to struggle, though its resistance visibly waned, its mind slowly being usurped by the malevolent eye embedded in its forehead.

Soon, the Monkey King would undoubtedly be transformed into something entirely different.

Tou recalled that defeating a magic puppet merely required shattering the blood seal on its brow. However, such an act would also obliterate the puppet’s head, leaving no chance for the controlled entity to survive.

Fortunately, the eye had not yet fully subjugated the Monkey King. To save him, Tou simply needed to destroy the eye before it completely overwhelmed the Monkey King’s consciousness.