Desperate Escape and a Maid’s Sacrifice

Tou’s life was saved by the monkeys.

But why? They were mere demonic beasts; why would they protect him, even at the cost of their own lives?

Tou didn’t understand, and there was no time for him to understand.

For Yue Ye Si’s bloodthirsty sneer, like a chilling gust, swept over him once more.

“Heh… Hahahaha, you cannot escape, my dear disciple…”

“Little Monkey, release me and flee! My… my master’s target is me. You shouldn’t be dragged into this. And… and those two other monkeys, they shouldn’t have died! It should have been me! Quickly, let me go! Otherwise… otherwise, you’ll die too!”

Tou was now profoundly grateful to these monkeys, and thus, he didn’t want their sacrifice to be in vain.

However, the little female monkey carrying him, though Tou knew she understood human speech, still continued to carry him, fleeing towards the secret passage they had emerged from!

“Let me go, you stubborn brute!”

The little female monkey remained silent, yet the message she conveyed to Tou was more profound than any treatise.

‘Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!’

Finding the secret passage too confining, Yue Ye Si, as she ran, raked her ten sharp claws along both sides of the tunnel, carving ten deep, blade-like gouges. As she pursued them further inside, the passage behind them began to collapse, making any entry impossible.

Moreover, who would dare run deeper inside, where Yue Ye Si lurked, along with that demonic Heart Seed transformed into a monstrous dog?

‘Is that so! I never intended to die, you know!’

Tou forced a bitter smile. The little female monkey was far too stubborn; no matter what Tou said, she showed no intention of letting him go.

Tou understood then: if he didn’t act, both he and the little female monkey were truly doomed.

With Yue Ye Si closing in from behind, how could he possibly stop her?

His Imperial Arm manifested in Tou’s hand. With a resounding ‘Clang! Clang! Clang!’, he hammered at the surrounding rock walls. Massive chunks of stone fell, and the walls collapsed, effectively sealing their escape route.

This alone was insufficient, for Yue Ye Si’s claws could effortlessly slice through stone as if it were tofu. If Tou hoped to slow her down, he would have to make the collapsed section of the secret passage even longer.

Though the hope of survival was slim, Tou was still willing to fight. Not for himself, but because he refused to let those two little monkeys have died in vain, nor would he allow the little female monkey assisting him to perish!

What if a miracle occurred? What if Four-Master, in her current state, reverted to normal once dawn broke?

No one could say for certain.

But only by living could hope endure!

“Die! Die! Die!”

Tou had never felt such a surge of adrenaline. The rod in his hand swung rapidly, each downward strike sending a powerful jolt of recoil that numbed his arm.

His tender hands were already raw in several places, bleeding profusely. The searing pain, paradoxically, made him feel alive, fueling his strength as he swung the rod with even greater ferocity!

“Caught you… Hehehehehe…”

Their brief respite was short-lived. Yue Ye Si’s proximity grew ever closer, and at last, she seized Tou’s Imperial Arm, bringing an abrupt end to his frantic, wild hacking and slashing.

The moment her hand touched Tou’s Imperial Arm, inky black tendrils, like flowing ink, began to stretch along its surface, extending towards Tou.

The speed was deceptive; no sooner had Tou sensed the anomaly in his Imperial Arm than the weapon in his hand was almost entirely stained black. Fortunately, he released his grip just in time, preventing the blackness from spreading to his body.

Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Yet, Tou’s narrow escape merely postponed his demise. His Imperial Arm had been transformed into Yue Ye Si’s weapon, now significantly more potent in her grasp!

Then, like an arrow released from a bowstring, the rod shot towards Tou’s shoulder.

“Argh!!”

Tou let out a shriek akin to a pig’s dying squeal, finding himself impaled diagonally against a nearby rock wall!

“Squeak! Squeak!”

Fortunately, the little female monkey was positioned lower; she had merely been thrown against the wall by the Ruyi Jingu Bang’s shockwave, sustaining no serious injuries.

The little female monkey tried to dislodge Tou from the wall, but it proved incredibly difficult. The Ruyi Jingu Bang was like a massive nail, with a broad, flat head; to free Tou, the Ruyi Jingu Bang itself had to be pulled out!

Unable to pull it out, the little female monkey’s body trembled, her fur bristling as she bared her teeth and stood defiantly before Yue Ye Si.

The little female monkey now resembled a mother protecting her young, showing not an inch of retreat in the face of Yue Ye Si.

Witnessing this, Tou’s heart ached. He could only blame his own weakness; if he had been strong enough, such a situation would never have arisen. Had he trained harder back at the Demon Immortal Fortress, with so many masters at his disposal, he surely wouldn’t be just a Spirit Vein Realm weakling now!

Regret, however, was an emotion that only surfaced when things became irretrievable; it offered no help to the current predicament and often led to counterproductive outcomes.

Tou closed his eyes, unwilling to watch, unwilling to see the little female monkey killed. He wished he could simply close his eyes and await Four-Master to end his life, a life that should have been filled with sweetness and joy!

“Stars of Gold!”

Just as he resigned himself to death, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.

‘It’s my maid!’

“Ughhh!!”

A fresh wave of pain surged through his shoulder, and he spat a copious amount of blood onto the ground. Ji Jie had freed him from the rock wall. Then came the familiar up-and-down jostling sensation: the little female monkey was carrying him and fleeing once more.

But he was teetering on the brink of death! His consciousness was growing increasingly hazy.

“Make him take this! I’ll try my best to hold her off for a while!”

After tossing a bottle of pills to the little female monkey, Ji Jie brandished the Platinum Star in her hand, positioning herself before Yue Ye Si.

Although her current cultivation was at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Vein Realm, her aura was in no way inferior to a Metal Realm expert’s. She had used a forbidden art to boost her power, yet against Yue Ye Si of the Heavenly Human Realm—the Demoness Yue Ye Si at that—she stood no chance.

“Stars of Gold!”

Activating her Imperial Arm’s ability once more, seven golden stars appeared around her, each seemingly containing an infinite number of swords, which shot forth like a volley of arrows towards Yue Ye Si.

“Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda! Muda!”

Yue Ye Si laughed maniacally, her hands ceaselessly blurring before her at incredible speed, her claws slicing all of Ji Jie’s projected sword-shadows into countless fragments.

“Forbidden Art! Blood Slaughter Sword!”

Confronting a Heavenly Human Realm expert, Ji Jie no longer held back her power.

The Blood Slaughter Sword, a forbidden art, required blood to be condensed into a great sword, unleashing immense power.

With no one else nearby, she could only use her own blood, supplemented by the blood Tou had shed earlier.

Her face instantly paled as a sword composed entirely of fresh blood materialized in her left hand. Its form was similar to the Platinum Star, but the terrifying power it contained could rival dozens of Platinum Stars.

Indeed, Tou’s blood was remarkable, containing such immense power. With this newfound strength, she believed she could endure a few more rounds against Yue Ye Si!

Blood sword in her left hand, Platinum Star in her right.

Dual-wielding!

No! In a swift, terrifying move, Yue Ye Si snatched the Platinum Star and flung it above her head, where it transformed into an even larger star. The sword aura emanating from it was far more potent than the combined attacks from the previous seven stars.

This was a very narrow secret passage, and though her sword aura had blasted open a considerable clearing, wielding two swords here was utterly impractical.

Even a single sword would be cumbersome.

In contrast, Yue Ye Si’s inky black claws were highly effective in this cramped space, giving her a distinct advantage in battle.

Therefore, she still opted for ranged combat.

The eight golden stars continuously launching sword-arrows around her, combined with the sword aura unleashed from the Blood Slaughter Sword in her hand, would surely allow her to slowly wear down Yue Ye Si for a time.