Chapter 127: Chapter 126: Taking Down Monkey Mountain

Fortunately, it seemed the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape paid a considerable price to use its Jade-Eyed Divine Power.

After each use, the Monkey King would become sluggish for a while, its speed dropping significantly.

It had only used it three times since the battle began.

Later on, Liang Yu and the others gained some experience. Although they couldn’t block the strange cyan light, they could use other items to take the hit for them.

When the light was unleashed, they would simply deploy a Spiritual Artifact to intercept it.

This method proved effective; using the body of a Spiritual Artifact to block the attack would dissipate the cyan light directly.

The price, however, was that the Spiritual Artifact would immediately lose its connection to its master, falling to the ground and becoming unresponsive.

It was unclear whether the Heart and Spirit Linked connection was temporarily severed or if the Spiritual Artifact’s very Power of Origin had been damaged.

’It’s just a shame that I already used the Celestial Spirit Treasure Cauldron Talisman Treasure once against Mo Qianyuan,’ Liang Yu thought. ’It has to be nourished in the Law Enforcement Hall for ten years before it can be used again... Otherwise, it would consume the Talisman Treasure’s Power of Origin, and it would be ruined after two more uses at most.’

Liang Yu felt a pang of regret that his most powerful Talisman Treasure was not with him.

For now, the three cultivators and the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape were locked in a stalemate.

But a human Cultivator’s Magical Power reserves were no match for a Demon Beast’s. A battle of attrition would ultimately be to their disadvantage.

Hearing Liang Yu’s shout, Luoo Qiuzhen’s face twisted with conflict. Finally, he steeled himself and spat out an azure talisman.

The moment the three-finger-wide azure talisman appeared, the sound of rushing water filled the air, and the atmosphere grew humid.

Without any activation, it radiated a powerful pressure, giving off an aura similar to a Talisman Treasure, yet slightly different.

"A Lifebound Talisman? Senior Brother Luoo, you actually managed to cultivate a Lifebound Talisman!"

Ying Zhong cried out in shock, clearly unaware of this development.

"Hmph! If it weren’t for dealing with this beast, why would I bear to reveal my Lifebound Talisman prematurely? If I had just nourished it for another ten years, I could have used it to advance to a Tier Three Talisman Master!"

Luoo Qiuzhen’s heart was filled with bitter resentment, and his gaze toward the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape was like a pair of sharp blades.

To have created a Lifebound Talisman—something only a Tier Three Talisman Master could be completely confident in making—while only having a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, spoke volumes of his attainments in the Talisman Dao.

He was only one final step away from a breakthrough.

With the Lifebound Talisman’s premature debut, the original ten-year nourishment period would likely be extended to thirty.

Luoo Qiuzhen tapped the azure Lifebound Talisman. Two lifelike Water Dragons spiraled upward, let out a draconic roar, and lunged at the Monkey King.

At the same time, ripples of water spread out from Luoo Qiuzhen, enveloping all three of them.

Wherever the ripples passed, the group’s depleted Magical Power, and even their Divine Sense, began to recover rapidly.

"An impressive technique, Junior Brother Luoo! Today, let’s see which one of us fells this beast first!"

The Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall was typically considered the strongest combatant in the Qingfeng Sect beneath the Core Formation Ancestors.

It was only that this generation had produced an anomaly like Wei Dao, who overshadowed Liang Yu’s brilliance. However, Liang Yu’s strength was by no means much weaker than Wei Dao’s.

Seeing the might of Luoo Qiuzhen’s Lifebound Talisman, Liang Yu felt a surge of heroic spirit. A heavy yellow light emanated from him, connecting him to the earth itself.

He pushed his Thick Earth Five Virtues Skill to its absolute limit, the pressure so immense that his feet sank several inches into the ground.

As he slowly pressed his palms downward, the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape’s body suddenly stiffened. It was as if an invisible, immense weight had been dropped on its back, slowing it down to a crawl compared to before.

Miraculously, the two Water Dragons grappling with it were completely unaffected.

Ying Zhong’s favored Spiritual Artifact had been severely damaged by the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape earlier while saving Liang Yu, which limited his combat effectiveness.

Now, seeing both of his senior brothers using their trump cards to begin the final showdown with the Monkey King, he also retrieved a scroll-like book from his storage bag.

A Low-Grade Magical Treasure, the Inheritance Record!

This Magical Treasure was the heirloom of the Transmission Hall Masters, passed down through generations. More often than not, it served as a symbol of status.

But at a critical moment, as the Hall Master of the Transmission Hall, Ying Zhong had his own way of activating it.

He slit his finger and, with flamboyant strokes, wrote a line of clerical script on the book.

The Magical Treasure emitted a dazzling white light that bathed Ying Zhong, making him appear inviolably majestic.

"The Three Saintly Prohibitions: Do good, and cast out evil!"

Ying Zhong’s voice was ethereal. As he spoke, a milky-white light surged toward the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape. The Monkey King visibly weakened, the luster of its golden fur dimming.

At the same time, a mountain of books materialized and fell, pinning the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape firmly in place.

The Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape scratched its ears and back, bared its sharp teeth, and braced its iron staff upwards. Lifting its monkey face, its jade eyes once again shot out two beams of cyan light.

The two Water Dragons proactively moved to block them. The moment the cyan light hit, they instantly dissolved into turquoise water that splashed all over the ground.

Luoo Qiuzhen sneered. The last of the Liquid Magical Power in his Qi Sea vanished. With a flash of blue light from his Lifebound Talisman, two more Water Beasts, equivalent to Early-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, materialized and charged forward to attack, fearless of death.

Gradually, the roars of the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape from within the Array grew fainter.

...

Bai Zichen surveyed the entire battlefield on his sword, dismayed to find that there weren’t many Tier Two Apes left alive.

The few remaining Tier Two Demon Beasts were all surrounded by several Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were taking turns wearing them down, holding an absolute advantage.

In a situation like this, he felt it would be improper to stick his nose in.

He did, however, spot the Bai Clan Leader, Bai Xianzhong, who was protecting a Battle Array with several familiar Clan Members inside.

Seeing that the Battle Array had all three of its treasures and was quickly dispatching the remaining Tier One Demon Beasts, it seemed the Bai Clan Members had been assigned to an elite unit in the reclamation army and given good equipment.

With their Battle Array intact and a Foundation Establishment Cultivator watching over them, their chances of survival were much higher than those of other Cultivators.

After the last Tier Two Ape was killed, the scattered Tier One Demon Beasts no longer posed a significant threat.

Aside from a necessary skeleton crew on guard, all the Battle Arrays were disbanded, and the Cultivators began to pursue the Demon Beasts freely.

Meanwhile, the disciples of the Qingfeng Sect, led by several Stewards, began to clean up the battlefield.

This included, but was not limited to, collecting Demon Beast Materials, recovering the bodies of fallen Cultivators, and gathering their belongings to be returned to their families.

But the Foundation Establishment Cultivators hadn’t completely relaxed their guard yet. They kept their eyes fixed on the summit of Monkey Mountain.

Everyone knew that the battle for Monkey Mountain would only truly be over when the dust settled on the fight up there.

"Senior Brother Pei, should we organize reinforcements?"

"No need. Follow the established plan and have our brothers take their positions. Even in the worst-case scenario, where Senior Brother Liang and the other two fail to take down the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape, they will have at least severely wounded it. If it manages to break out, it will be at the end of its rope. With so many of us, we can easily handle it."

Pei Dongyong scanned the area. This battle could be considered a resounding victory.

Aside from one Foundation Establishment Cultivator from a Cultivation Family who was seriously injured by a Tier Two Ape’s final, desperate counterattack, no one else was even scratched.

The number of fallen Qi Refining Cultivators was estimated to be around two hundred, which was also an acceptable loss.

"Junior Brother Bai, this man says you killed a Tier Two Ape over there, and that they’re butchering it and guarding the Demon Beast Materials for you... Is this true?"

Ma Ming asked, holding a disheveled Elder Daoist by the scruff of his neck as he approached on a leaf-like Flying Ship.

Bai Zichen glanced over. It looked like the leader of the group of Loose Cultivators he’d saved when he killed the White Ape. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"That’s right. I killed that White Ape by myself. According to the rules, I’m entitled to all of its Demon Beast Materials. There’s no need to give him a hard time, Brother Ma. I was the one who asked them to do it."

Senior Brother Zhang had told him about this Ma Ming three days ago.

He’d said the man was arrogant and had a gloomy, scheming mind.

Perhaps he was jealous of Bai Zichen, this newly risen, heaven-sent talent who had stolen his "genius" title, which was why he had kicked Bai Zichen when he was down that day.

But this behavior had already angered Senior Brother Liang Yu. Once the reclamation war was over, Ma Ming would be dismissed from his position in the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Esteemed Elder, this old man is telling the truth. Can you put me down now?"

The Jiang Family’s Elder Daoist, dangling in the air, was forced to swallow a few gulps of cold wind. His already injured body began to cough again.

Ma Ming had wanted to pick a fight, to argue that the Battle Array formed by these Loose Cultivators had also contributed, and thus contest the ownership of the Tier Two Demon Beast’s materials.

But seeing Pei Dongyong and Senior Brother Zhang staring at him from behind Bai Zichen, he could only snort coldly, drop the Jiang Family’s Elder Daoist, and leave to avoid further embarrassment.

"I didn’t expect that before you came to help us, Junior Brother Bai, you had already slain a Tier Two Ape on your own... Add to that the Tier Two Mid Grade Fire Ape you just killed, and your contributions probably rank first among all the Elders!"

This was because the other Elders had mostly worked together, and the credit for the Demon Beasts they killed had to be divided equally.

When it came to tallying merits, Bai Zichen had truly come out far ahead.

"By the way, don’t tell anyone else about your comprehension of Sword Qi Thunder Sound. Keep it a secret for as long as you can... ’The tree that stands tallest in the forest is the one the wind will surely destroy.’ I’m worried that if the Ghost Spirit Sect finds out, it will be bad for you."

Senior Brother Zhang sent via Sound Transmission, his tone earnest and full of concern.

"I’ve already given Qiong Qi and Liao Changqing a stern warning. Right now, they both need my help with certain things, so they shouldn’t dare to gossip."

At such a young age, Bai Zichen had already reached the pinnacle of the Sword Dao in the Liang Country’s Cultivation Realm, possessing the strength to challenge those in higher Realms.

Senior Brother Zhang had seen the sword strike that killed the Fire Ape with his own eyes. The power it contained made his own hair stand on end.

’If I were in its place,’ he thought, ’I can’t imagine any way I could have dodged or defended against that.’

He even felt that some of the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment senior brothers in the Sect might not have been able to take that hit.

No wonder it was always said in the Cultivation Realm that Sword Cultivators were invincible among their peers, and that the best among them could even challenge those of higher Realms.

Previously, Luo Guangwu’s performance had made him scoff at that saying.

Today, he finally understood. It wasn’t that Sword Cultivators were weak; it was a matter of the person.

’Just give Junior Brother Bai a few decades to raise his Realm,’ he mused. ’Who in the entire Foundation Establishment Stage will be able to withstand a single strike from his sword?’

The Ghost Spirit Sect was currently scared witless by Ancestor Ge Cang and likely didn’t have the courage to send people to infiltrate Black Mountain County, but it was always good to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Understood. I’ll be careful from now on."

Bai Zichen knew Senior Brother Zhang meant well and naturally wouldn’t refuse his advice.

"Greetings, Elder Bai. This old Daoist is the Patriarch of the Jiang Family. We’ve already finished sorting the materials from that White Ape..."

The Jiang Family’s Elder Daoist had been thrown onto the cyan ship where Bai Zichen and the others were. He had just managed to struggle to his feet and was about to mention Jiang Shu’s name to build a connection when he was interrupted by a deafening crash.

BOOM!

An iron staff flew out, directly snapping a stone pillar as thick as a man’s embrace. Without losing any momentum, it embedded itself deep into the mountain wall.

The Array dissipated, revealing the three standing figures of the Hall Masters.

In the center, a small monkey lay limp on the ground as if it had no bones, completely motionless. It was the Monkey King of Monkey Mountain, the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape.