“Father, I heard you’re planning to find a demonic cultivation technique for Monkey Uncle? Don’t do it!”
Yuan Er barged into the study, shouting loudly.
Yuan Yi’s face darkened as he snapped, “Silence! Who’s been filling your ears with such nonsense?”
“Father, Monkey Uncle’s strength is already unmatched."
"His children and grandchildren… though we call them spirit beasts, they are, in truth, the true masters."
"The cultivators are nothing more than servants, feeding them.”
“With the situation as it is, if Monkey Uncle’s power advances further, it could bring even greater harm.”
“When that time comes, whose gang will the Monkey Head Gang belong to?” Yuan Er pleaded relentlessly.
Yuan Yi’s lips quivered slightly, and he fell into a deathly silence.
The Monkey Head Gang’s foundation was something he had fought his whole life to establish.
It’s easy to conquer, but hard to maintain.
He was getting old.
Even in his youth, maintaining balance within the gang had always been a challenge.
Yuan Dasheng, the Fire Fusion Demon Ape, had undeniable power.
In battle, it was an absolute advantage.
But now that the Monkey Head Gang was stable, with no gangs around that posed a threat, this advantage had become a hidden internal threat.
Yuan Er was his only flesh and blood; the Monkey Head Gang was meant to be passed down to him.
But could he truly control it?
Yuan Yi had faith in himself and in his relationship with Yuan Dasheng, but he harbored serious doubts about Yuan Er’s relationship with Yuan Dasheng.
After thinking it over for a full day and night, he finally summoned Yuan Er with a pale face, instructing him only this: “Listen carefully. You must treat Monkey Uncle with utmost respect. Show him even greater respect than you do me. Do you understand?”
“I understand!” Yuan Er immediately promised, his heart filled with joy.
Fueled by guilt, Yuan Er indeed treated Yuan Dasheng with more reverence than before.
The entire gang followed suit, showing even greater respect to Yuan Dasheng.
However, once he became the gang leader, Yuan Er found himself in an awkward position.
He had to rely on Yuan Dasheng to earn respect, yet his reliance on Yuan Dasheng prevented him from truly gaining it.
Now, Yuan Er knelt by the bedside, looking at Yuan Dasheng.
“Monkey Uncle, your kindness to me is as weighty as a mountain. I understand that, and I remember it all in my heart.”
“But the envoy was right; keeping you barely alive on this sickbed is the greatest insult to you!”
“I… I don’t want this. I respect you! I admire you!”
“I think, if my father knows in the afterlife, he would approve of my actions.”
“I know he understands… The enemies are too strong. Even with the entire Monkey Head Gang, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“So, I’ve chosen to submit!”
“My father always said that a true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall.”
“What I’m doing—enduring humiliation—is all to preserve our legacy.”
“Monkey Uncle, you must understand my intentions!”
“The Monkey Head Gang is the fruit of your and my father’s lifelong efforts; I cannot let it be destroyed in my hands.”
“I must pass it down—to my son, to my grandson.”
“Someday, through development and growth, we will establish the Yuan clan, a true cultivation family, becoming the fifth force of Fire Persimmon City!”
“Monkey Uncle, please understand me, don’t blame me! You must understand, right?”
Yuan Er continued to murmur internally.
Suddenly, Yuan Dasheng slowly opened his eyes.
Yuan Er’s body shook as if struck by lightning.
But Yuan Dasheng’s eyes were a dull gray, clouded and lifeless.
It could see nothing and hear nothing, yet its sense of smell lingered.
It caught a whiff of Yuan Er’s familiar scent.
Yuan Dasheng tried to rise, its body as heavy as a mountain.
It tried to lift its hand, but there was little feeling in it.
Finally, it could only slowly extend one finger, pointing at Yuan Er.
Startled, Yuan Er fell backward onto the ground.
In the next moment, Yuan Dasheng’s finger slowly fell, and its breath faded completely.
It was finally gone.
For a moment, Yuan Er sat in a daze, then suddenly burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.
He knelt and crawled, throwing himself onto Yuan Dasheng’s corpse, crying out, “Monkey Uncle, Monkey Uncle!”
He shouted the words his father never got the chance to say: “Monkey Uncle, I’m sorry. Monkey Uncle, I’ve wronged you…”
Meanwhile, Ning Zhuo, who had left the study without anyone noticing, now stood silently behind Yuan Er, witnessing Yuan Dasheng’s final moments.
At last, Yuan Dasheng was truly dead.
Yet, in the moment of success, Ning Zhuo felt no rush of exhilaration, no overwhelming joy he had expected.
His emotions were complicated.
Yuan Dasheng’s demise had been entirely orchestrated by Ning Zhuo, but to the very end, Yuan Dasheng never knew of Ning Zhuo’s existence.
It never understood how it had provoked such a powerful adversary in Ning Zhuo.
As for Ning Zhuo?
He never really wanted to be enemies with Yuan Dasheng.
Before Yuan Dasheng broke into the Immortal Palace, Ning Zhuo had never even laid eyes on it.
But fate had used the Lava Immortal Palace as a stage, placing Ning Zhuo and Yuan Dasheng on a narrow path of life and death.
It was either him or me—no second option.
“If I had a choice, Yuan Dasheng, I would have rather fought by your side.”
“What a pity…”
With a trace of regret, Ning Zhuo stepped forward and began handling Yuan Dasheng’s body.
Startled, Yuan Er instinctively reached out to stop him.
But Ning Zhuo kicked him aside, finally showing the contempt and anger in his heart, and hissed, “Stand aside!”
Even with Foundation Establishment strength, what good was it if Yuan Er’s spirit was so weak?
When Ning Zhuo saw Yuan Dasheng in the bedroom, he realized that it had not taken the Autumn Life-Saving Pill.
Zhu Xuanji had clearly given the pill to Yuan Er, yet he never gave it to Yuan Dasheng.
Was it because he had no time?
He had plenty of time!
From this alone, Ning Zhuo could deduce Yuan Er’s true intentions.
That was why he had feigned encouragement for Yuan Er to consult with Yuan Dasheng.
As expected, Yuan Er knelt down from the start, calling only in his heart, never truly speaking aloud.
“Leader Yuan Er, please accept my condolences.”
Ning Zhuo placed the monkey’s corpse into a storage bag and prepared to leave.
Yuan Er knelt on the ground, clutching at Ning Zhuo’s leg, looking up at him. “When… when can I see Monkey Uncle again?”
“Once the construction time is set, I’ll notify you. Don’t worry; it won’t be long.”
Ning Zhuo reassured him before freeing his leg and walking away without a backward glance.
Yuan Er remained alone, in the empty bedroom, as still as a stone.
Maintaining his composure, Ning Zhuo left the Monkey Head Gang’s headquarters.
As he neared the exit, he overheard the returning gang members talking.
“All the Fire Persimmon Forest has been harvested, yet the Shadow Demon Cultivator hasn’t appeared!”
“Didn’t they say he was hiding in the Fire Persimmon Forest, sealed by the formation?”
“How could he have just vanished?”
“Yeah, I was really looking forward to a hunt.”
“You should’ve seen how furious Lord Fei Si looked at that time!”
“Now, all the golden core cultivators from each faction are searching the Fire Persimmon Forest.”
Hearing this, Ning Zhuo’s heart sank. “This is bad!”
With his sharp instincts, he immediately realized he was once again facing a crisis.
After leaving the Monkey Head Gang, he quickened his pace, rushing toward the Flying Disc Workshop without delay.