Yuan Yi said, “Don’t worry. I’m human and naturally eat less, so I don’t get hungry easily.”
He laughed and added, “You’re my brother, and thank you for protecting me before. In the future, if those beggars from the Beggars’ Sect come to bully me again, I can’t let you go hungry!”
The ape opened its mouth, spat out the food it was holding, placed it on its palm, and offered it to Yuan Yi.
Yuan Yi waved his hand, “No need, no need.”
But his Adam’s apple involuntarily moved.
The ape persisted, stepping forward, extending its palm right to Yuan Yi’s mouth, even letting out a call.
“Alright then, I won’t hold back.”
Yuan Yi’s eyes reddened as he held the ape’s hand and quickly devoured the last bit of leftovers.
“Tasty, very tasty!” Yuan Yi exclaimed with a smile.
Emaciated, wearing ill-fitting clothes borrowed from others, and with his hair disheveled, he looked just like a human monkey.
The ape also laughed, chittering and squeaking with joy.
In that moment, human and ape were immersed in happiness.
“Uncle Dasheng, Uncle Dasheng…”
Finally, Yuan Er’s call woke the ape from its dreams.
As it opened its eyes, for a fleeting moment, the ape almost mistook Yuan Er for its old master; after all, father and son looked so alike.
The ape’s vision gradually cleared, and suddenly, its nose twitched, its brows furrowing.
It smelled something unpleasant.
Yuan Er swallowed, quickly explaining.
The ape listened to part of his explanation before standing up and stepping out of the tent.
It stood over a zhang tall, its powerful physique resembling a battle-hardened war elephant.
The scars covering its body were like badges of honor, a testament to its countless battles.
“Greetings, Monkey Lord!” the elders greeted in unison.
The ape ignored them, focusing solely on the numerous monkey corpses on the ground.
After a brief moment of silence, it suddenly raised its head and let out an enraged roar.
The deafening sound wave knocked several elders to the ground.
Yuan Dasheng’s eyes were tinged with red—it was truly enraged!
The elders were drenched in cold sweat.
Yuan Er deliberately hung back, savoring the sight of the elders’ humbled expressions.
He approached at the right moment. “Uncle Monkey, Uncle Monkey, now that such a disaster has struck, we must uncover the true culprit and severely punish them!”
Yuan Dasheng gradually stopped roaring, lowering its gaze toward Yuan Er.
The familiarity of his face helped to calm it down.
It slowly extended a finger, gently touching Yuan Er’s chest.
Yuan Er’s heart pounded as he took a small step back, hurriedly nodding. “Uncle Monkey, trust me, I won’t disappoint you!”
“But now, our gang is facing a major crisis. We must perform outstandingly at the Fire Persimmon Festival.”
“Currently, we are severely short-handed. We have no choice but to rely on you, Uncle Monkey.”
“Please conserve your energy during this time. You’re our pillar of support!”
Yuan Dasheng remained silent, slowly returning to the tent and vanishing from sight.
Seeing the elders sprawled on the ground, Yuan Er smiled slightly and waved his sleeve, saying, “Get up.”
Afterward, every instruction he gave was met with the elders’ compliance.
Once he left, the elders began exchanging messages.
“Yuan Er is relying on the monkey’s power. Does he even resemble a proper gang leader?” one sneered.
“Monkey Lord didn’t kill anyone in its anger; it must be losing its edge.”
“What, do you want it to go on a rampage?”
“I’m just saying, maybe it’s old and its strength is waning, only appearing strong on the surface?” speculated an ambitious elder.
The oldest elder heard this and scoffed, turning to leave.
The other elders hadn’t seen it, but he had witnessed Yuan Dasheng’s combat prowess firsthand during a gang mission exploring the Demon Lava Cave.
“That Fire Snake’s strength was comparable to a half-step golden core…”
“But in the end, Yuan Dasheng tore it to shreds…”
“Though Yuan Dasheng is aging, its combat prowess remains terrifying. It definitely has talent, at least high-grade.”
“It’s a blessing for our gang that it never practiced cultivation techniques,” he thought, a bird’s chirping near his ear breaking his thoughts.
Ning Zhuo was roused from his rest and opened his eyes.
A mechanical parrot had woken him, a cross-shaped control stick protruding from its back, timing its calls to wake Ning Zhuo.
“It’s about time.” Ning Zhuo sensed the mark on his chest and entered the Immortal Palace.
He quickly assembled a puppet body and advanced through the stages.
Noticing traces of someone else attempting the stages, he retrieved a monitoring device and found that Zhou Zhu and Zheng Jian had started cooperating.
“In the short term, they pose no threat.”
“But the real challenge lies with Yuan Dasheng; even Meng Chong is secondary.”
Ning Zhuo advanced steadily.
With proficiency in over twenty techniques, all practiced to mastery, he found it easy to pass through the stages as long as his spiritual power remained abundant.
After reaching a point where he could progress no further, he retreated to Room Eight and waited patiently.
Before long, the door was abruptly pushed open, and a large puppet ape squeezed through.
“It’s here,” Ning Zhuo thought to himself, rising slowly to face the ape.
As their gazes met, Yuan Dasheng instantly sensed that this puppet was no ordinary guardian.
After sizing up Puppet Ning Zhuo, Yuan Dasheng scanned the entire room.
Besides the obvious traps, it suspected the presence of hidden mechanisms.
“It seems to have mistaken me for a gatekeeper puppet, like those martial puppets,” Ning Zhuo mused, nodding internally.
This was exactly the effect he had aimed for.
The ranking board and his pseudonym had played a key role, leading Yuan Dasheng to believe it was the sole challenger in the Immortal Palace.
After a brief observation, Yuan Dasheng began attempting to clear the stage.
Ning Zhuo acted immediately.
Technique—Ice Embrace Technique.
Mechanical component—Flying Hand.
Technique—Qi Breath Technique.
Mechanical component—Dispersion Ring.
A mechanical hand shot towards Yuan Dasheng, its palm emitting a chill of freezing qi.
Ordinarily, the freezing qi would require direct contact to be lethal, but with the Dispersion Ring in place, a gust of qi carried the freezing energy outward.
A fan-like wave of freezing qi spread instantly.
Yuan Dasheng dodged most of it, but a layer of frost still formed on part of its left leg.
Its eyes gleamed with a ferocious light!
It had never encountered a gatekeeper puppet capable of casting spells before.
Without hesitation, Yuan Dasheng charged forward with an overwhelming aura, quickly closing in on Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo leaped back lightly, activating the Qi Breath Technique.
The pair of Dispersion Rings on his ankles released a gust that propelled him backward, widening the distance.
As he retreated, he continued his assault.
Dozens of Flying Hands launched attack after attack, utilizing Ice Embrace Technique, Fire Grip Technique, Metal Gathering Technique, Wood Fusion Technique, and more, all bolstered by the Qi Breath Technique, transforming them into mid- to long-range strikes.
Yuan Dasheng hunched its body, shielding its face with its arms, smashing through every technique in its path, focusing only on Ning Zhuo while ignoring everything else.
This tactical choice was correct!
But it couldn’t save it from defeat.
Moments later, Yuan Dasheng’s puppet body collapsed, parts charred, others frozen into ice, and some limbs entangled by wood that grew in tangled barriers.
Before crumbling entirely, Yuan Dasheng roared skyward, a sound filled with frustration, rage, and helplessness.
The indignation was overwhelming.
This wasn’t its true strength!
“I’ve blocked it,” Ning Zhuo sighed in relief.
The traps he’d set had little effect on Yuan Dasheng.
Only by facing it himself could he hold it back.