A baby Divine Ape, no bigger than a fist, was nestled in the Vajra Divine Ape’s arms. The moment Lin Yun saw this little ape, he instantly understood why this Vajra Divine Ape had been rejected by her clan.

"This is... the child of a... Heaven-Destroying Demon Ape..." he stammered. Gazing at the little one, Lin Yun was shocked beyond belief.

The Heaven-Destroying Demon Ape was a top-tier Demon Beast from the Demon Realm. By all rights, the Vajra Divine Ape and the Heaven-Destroying Demon Ape were destined mortal enemies. A child born to such a pair would, of course, never be accepted by the Vajra Divine Ape’s clan.

"Now you understand?" the Vajra Divine Ape asked via voice transmission, seeing the shock on Lin Yun’s face.

Lin Yun nodded. He now understood why this Vajra Divine Ape had been so gravely injured and why she had fled to the Celestial Spirit Continent.

The Vajra Divine Ape then told Lin Yun the entire story.

It began several hundred years ago, during the most recent War of Gods and Demons. At that time, Lin Xiaotian was still the exalted War God of the Divine Realm, and Lin Yun had not yet been born.

The war was incredibly brutal. It wasn’t just a battle between gods and demons; even the Demon Beasts took part. The Divine Dragons, Phoenixes, and Vajra Divine Apes fought for the Divine Realm, while the Black Qilins, Four-tailed Scorpions, and Heaven-Destroying Demon Apes fought for the Demon Realm.

In the midst of the great war, this Vajra Divine Ape was separated from her clan. By a twist of fate, she encountered a male Heaven-Destroying Demon Ape. They fought a series of fierce battles, but in the end, neither could gain an advantage.

Who could have imagined that the Divine Ape and the Demon Ape, both separated from their clans, would fall in love? In the end, they even gave birth to this Little Ape, a child whom heaven and earth would not tolerate.

Because of this, when the pair were found by their clans, they became the targets of a hunt by both sides. The Heaven-Destroying Demon Ape was killed in the relentless pursuit, and this Vajra Divine Ape fought desperately to escape, finally reaching the Celestial Spirit Continent.

"My time is almost up," the Vajra Divine Ape said via voice transmission. "I can sense that you are no ordinary person. You carry the auras of both the Divine Realm and the Demon Realm. For the auras of both realms to appear in a single person... your fate is very similar to this little one’s."

"COUGH... COUGH..." Spitting up golden blood, the Vajra Divine Ape looked as if she had finally reached her end. A pleading look filled her eyes as she looked at Lin Yun.

"Raise him. No matter what kind of person you become, let him stay by your side..."

Hearing the Vajra Divine Ape’s plea, Lin Yun felt a pang of bitterness. "Alright," he said. "I promise you."

’Perhaps this is the tenacity of a mother,’ he thought. Lin Yun felt a great admiration for the Vajra Divine Ape. At the same time, although the little one was an abomination not tolerated by heaven or earth, as the child of a Vajra Divine Ape and a Heaven-Destroying Demon Ape, even Lin Yun couldn’t predict how powerful he might one day become.

Hearing Lin Yun’s promise, the Vajra Divine Ape looked at her child, a gentle, loving smile spreading across her face.

With that same gentle gaze, the Vajra Divine Ape placed the little one into Lin Yun’s hands. Then, as Lin Yun watched, one of the most powerful Demon Beasts between heaven and earth slowly closed her eyes for the last time.

The little creature in Lin Yun’s arms, completely unaware that his mother had just passed away, playfully tugged at Lin Yun’s hair and let out a series of soft chirps.

"Rest assured," Lin Yun said solemnly to the Vajra Divine Ape’s body. "I won’t let anything happen to the little one. If I can one day return to the Divine Realm, I will bring him to your clan and make them accept him."

As his words faded, the Vajra Divine Ape’s body began to glow with a golden light. The light grew brighter and more concentrated until, finally, her body transformed into a single golden orb.

This was the Demon Core of the Vajra Divine Ape, concentrating all of her power within it. It was also a form of repayment to Lin Yun. If anyone from the Divine Realm were present, they would surely burn with envy.

Refining the Demon Core of a Vajra Divine Ape could cause an earth-shattering increase in one’s cultivation. To put it into perspective, Lin Yun was currently at the Fifth Layer of Opening. If he were to refine this Demon Core, his cultivation would absolutely reach the Ninth Layer of Primordial Ocean Realm—it might even be possible for him to break through the Primordial Ocean Realm altogether.

The only problem was that Lin Yun’s current body couldn’t withstand such immense power. He would have to wait until his own strength had grown. He would need to be at least beyond the Primordial Ocean Realm before he could even attempt to refine this Demon Core.

After placing the golden Demon Core into his Space Ring, Lin Yun cradled the little one and walked in the direction he had last seen Li Tian. Having been blasted thousands of meters away, Li Tian had long since fallen unconscious.

Cradling the little one in one arm and hoisting the unconscious Li Tian over his shoulder, Lin Yun did not head back toward the Mysterious City. Instead, he turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Having escaped the Mysterious City, Lin Yun had no intention of returning. In three months, Yanhuang Academy would begin its student recruitment, and he planned to go to the County City to enroll.

The Yanhuang Country was divided into four counties. The one Lin Yun was currently in was Yunlu County, named after the Yunlu Mountain Range.

Each of the four counties was governed by a member of the Royal Family with the title of Prince. Yanhuang Academy had registration points in the County City of each of the four counties, while the academy headquarters was located in the Imperial City Mountain Range, just outside the capital of the Yanhuang Country.

As he traveled away from the city, the Yunlu Mountain Range began to return to normal in the wake of the Vajra Divine Ape’s disappearance. The Tier Three Demon Beasts retreated to their own territories, as did the Tier One and Tier Two Demon Beasts. Peace was restored to the entire mountain range.

Back in the Mysterious City, however, none of the Martial Artists who had witnessed the Vajra Divine Ape could ever forget the golden, mountain-like figure. It was the most powerful Demon Beast they had ever seen—a hundred times stronger than even a Primordial Ocean Realm expert, and that was while it was grievously wounded and on the verge of death.

A week passed. The Mysterious City, Iron Gate Pass, and the Nan Feng Kingdom all sent Martial Artists into the Yunlu Mountain Range, but all three parties came back empty-handed.

Even Iron Blood and the Blood Refining Ancestor entered the mountains again, returning to the previous spot. But how could there be any trace of the Vajra Divine Ape left? Aside from the charred trees, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

The Vajra Divine Ape had vanished without a trace. Meanwhile, Lin Yun and the little one had already reached a small town, thousands of miles away from the Yunlu Mountain Range.

After seven days of travel, Li Tian’s injuries had completely healed.

"Brother Lin Yun, I have to return to my family," Li Tian said, bidding farewell to Lin Yun just outside the small town.

"Alright. Travel safely," Lin Yun replied.

"I’m leaving now, Brother Lin Yun. I can’t tell what this little creature is, but my True Illusory Eyes tell me that it’s something heaven and earth will not tolerate. You need to be careful with him," Li Tian warned.

"I know."

And with that, Li Tian departed. Lin Yun never told him the little one’s true identity. As they watched Li Tian’s retreating figure, the little ape on Lin Yun’s shoulder began to cry out incessantly.

"Alright, alright, I know, I know." Hearing the little one’s cries, Lin Yun gave a helpless smile. From its calls, he could tell it was hungry.

He turned and headed back into town. The little black-furred creature clung to his shoulder, swaying back and forth and occasionally licking his cheek. It had clearly accepted Lin Yun as its new parent.

Lin Yun smiled, happy to have the little one’s company. The little creature was truly endearing.