Chapter 123: Fierce Battle with the Evil Ape

The old white ape, though a beast, had refined the cross-bone in its throat and could speak with a human voice. "You two, this is the territory of the Great Red-Haired King. It would be best for you to return the way you came."

"Nonsense! This is clearly the Ape Duke Mountain of our Qingcheng Sect; when did some Great Red-Haired King appear here?" Lu Xiaoxian said, displeased.

"You two little brats have such tender skin and flesh; you look like a delicious morsel. Once we capture you and present you to the Great King, perhaps he will be pleased and reward us with some meat!" It was another large ape, nine feet tall, with protruding fangs and thick limbs. Clad in chainmail and wielding a heavy iron rod as thick as a bowl, it was clearly not one to be trifled with. As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding apes began to screech, beating their chests and leaping about in high spirits.

Zhou Qian scanned the area and immediately noticed the differences. The apes were of various kinds, divided by black and white fur. The white apes’ behavior and movements were quite human-like, yet they appeared listless and covered in scars. The black apes followed the armored giant as their leader; they were thick-bodied, crawled while roaring, and had malevolent glints in their eyes, appearing wild and untamed.

He quickly formed a plan, leaned over, and whispered into Lu Xiaoxian’s ear, "Junior Sister, focus your attacks only on the black apes. Leave the old white ape to me."

"You piece of meat, how dare you ignore my commands! Take this!" The armored giant, irritable at being disregarded, swung its heavy rod down.

Lu Xiaoxian was no weakling. She tapped her waist, and her Flying Immortal Ribbon shot out, transforming into layers of mist and clouds to intercept the blow. This was the manifestation of her Flying Sky Ribbon’s power. Although the mist was cleaved in two by the iron rod, it swirled back from both sides to wrap around the ape. Caught off guard, the ape’s armor was corroded by the mist, exposing its oily black fur. It roared in fury, sending sand and stones flying as demonic energy surged. Judging by its form, it had about two hundred years of cultivation. The shadow of its rod seemed to grow larger, multiplying into thousands of strikes that dissipated the surrounding mist.

On the other side, Zhou Qian released his bamboo sword toward the tailless white ape. This sword had been forged for him by his Senior Brother, Qin Yu, using the three spirit bamboos of Bamboo Mountain—black, white, and green—supplemented with liquid gold and silver. Though the materials were ordinary, the forging technique was ingenious, resulting in a sturdy blade with over a dozen earth-fiend restrictions, which Zhou Qian found quite satisfactory.

The old white ape tossed its walking stick, which transformed into a beam of white light to meet the attack; it was also a flying sword. The old ape actually knew the art of sword flight.

The two flying swords clashed, darting through the sky with brilliant light. After a dozen rounds, Zhou Qian was surprised to find that in terms of pure sword control, he was falling behind. He knew that his sword mantras and techniques had been taught personally by Qin Yu, following the authentic Qingcheng style. Despite his shallow cultivation, his sword had significant power, yet in a direct sword-to-sword contest, his style was entirely suppressed and he couldn't unleash its potential.

Zhou Qian was both startled and suspicious. The old white ape should have been overwhelming him, yet on the surface, they were evenly matched in a fierce struggle. Suspecting something was amiss, he shifted his sword light and delivered a sudden strike. The white ape’s sword, feigning weakness, was knocked dozens of yards away, its light dimming. Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Qian’s bamboo sword flashed like lightning, piercing the throats of two black apes; blood splattered as they crashed to the ground.

The black apes were enraged, charging forward with blades and spears. Unexpectedly, Zhou Qian unleashed his full power. His flying sword struck with impossible angles and speed, not only suppressing the white ape’s sword but also killing dozens of black apes. However, when the white ape was struck, its wounds were superficial. Seeing that Zhou Qian had understood his hint, the old ape’s thunder-god face revealed a human-like trace of joy.

The armored giant, seeing its kin slaughtered, opened its eyes wide and spat out an inner core the size of a thumb. A yellow light spilled out, colliding with the Flying Sky Ribbon. Like tearing silk, the red ribbon returned to Lu Xiaoxian’s hand, its light dimmed. The giant ape, dragging its heavy rod, charged toward Zhou Qian.

"Junior Brother, watch out!" Lu Xiaoxian shouted, throwing out beads of Taiqing Dharma Thunder. The explosions left the back of the demonic ape a mangled mess. Zhou Qian performed a series of hand seals, and his bamboo sword turned into a green streak of light, shooting toward the beast.

Unexpectedly, the beast swung its rod backward, and a tremendous force sent the bamboo sword flying dozens of yards away, where it snapped in two and fell to the ground, no longer usable.

Zhou Qian remained calm in the face of danger. He held a gourd at his waist, which contained thunder-fire pellets given to him by his Second Senior Brother, Song Dazhu. Stepping back, he poured out seven or eight pellets and threw them in succession. Beasts, after all, were beasts; unable to discern the danger, the ape merely spun its rod into a defensive circle.

Thunder and fire erupted instantly, and within a radius of several acres, only rolling black smoke and the smell of charred flesh remained. After a long while, the smoke cleared, revealing the miserable figure of the giant ape, its skin scorched and flesh torn.

Yet, it was not dead. As it struggled to roar and charge forward, a white light circled its neck, and its furry head tumbled to the ground with a thud.

The tailless white ape let out another screech, and the white apes turned on their captors, slaughtering the remaining black apes in an instant.

The old white ape led its tribe to kneel before the two, saying earnestly, "My mountain ape clan was coerced by enemies and had to feign hostility toward the two Great Immortals of Qingcheng. I hope you will forgive us and overlook our disrespect."

"You were coerced? By whom?" Lu Xiaoxian asked curiously.

It turned out these white apes were descendants of a thousand-year-old ape. Protected by their ancestor, they had lived peacefully and multiplied on Ape Duke Mountain. But when the old ape died, nearby monsters coveted the spirit energy of the mountain and seized it. Eventually, a group of long-armed apes prevailed. The tailless white ape had initially thought this might be a good thing, as they were of the same kind, so it led its tribe to submit. However, the leader, the Great Red-Haired King, was cruel and tyrannical, not only occupying the ancestral cave but also killing at will and forcing them into hard labor. Only when Zhou Qian and Lu Xiaoxian arrived and fought the others did the old ape decide to rebel and assist the enemies.

"...The one who fought you was the only son of the Great Red-Haired King; he loved to torture us. Now that he is dead, the Great King will surely not let this go. We beg the Great Immortals to save us!" The monkeys bowed repeatedly, choking back sobs.

"Helping you is fine, but what is the depth of the Great Red-Haired King’s cultivation? What kind of magic weapons does he use? How many subordinates does he have?" Zhou Qian stopped Lu Xiaoxian and asked cautiously.

The old white ape hesitated for a moment before saying, "I will not hide it from you, Great Immortal. The red-haired monster can ride the clouds and mist, and its inner core is as large as a dragon's eye. By my estimation, it has about four hundred years of cultivation. It excels at using demonic energy to form giant grasping hands, and it possesses a spirit stone that it has refined into a magical item—it strikes wherever it is pointed. As for the long-armed ape descendants, there are about three hundred. The monster does not know how to train them, so there are few with deep cultivation."

The two looked at each other in dismay. They had used all their strength just to defeat the son; how could they possibly handle the far more powerful red-haired monster?

Zhou Qian was honest: "Senior White Ape, we are both juniors with shallow magic power. We came here for the Emerald Fruit. If we were to fight, we would certainly be no match for that demonic ape. Why not tell us where the fruit is? We will pick it and return to Qingcheng to invite our seniors to come and subdue the demon."

The old white ape’s thunder-god face showed a look of distress. "Your idea is good, Great Immortal, but the emerald vines grow outside the Ape Duke Cave. If you pick them, you will surely be discovered."

"That is a difficult problem!" The two humans and one monkey were all out of ideas.

"Actually, before my ancestor died, he told me there is a secret passage in the cave that leads directly outside. If you are careful, you might be able to pick them."

"Then take us there quickly!" Zhou Qian’s spirits lifted.

The old white ape ordered the mountain apes to clean the battlefield and then dismissed them, leading the two toward the exit of the mountain.

On the way, Zhou Qian noticed Lu Xiaoxian looking dejected. "Junior Sister, you seem unhappy. Who upset you?"

"Senior Brother, can we really not beat that big red-haired monkey?"

"Our Azure Cloud Heart Method is only at the first and sixth levels respectively. Dealing with a four-hundred-year-old ape spirit is indeed beyond our current strength."

"But I really wanted to defeat that big monkey and show off to the seniors when we get back. This is my first mission, and I wanted to complete it perfectly." Lu Xiaoxian puffed out her cheeks.

"Haha, so that’s why," Zhou Qian smiled. "Do you remember the stories I told you about the little beggar on our journey? When he first entered the martial arts world, why did he win every battle? You must know that at the time, his swordsmanship was not yet perfected, and there were many experts in the world superior to him."

"Why, then?"

"Because the little beggar always sought out opponents whose skills were just a notch above his own. After defeating them, he would find stronger ones, step by step. A few years later, looking back at the entire martial arts world, there was no one above him."

"Hm?" Lu Xiaoxian raised her head, asking sharply, "What are you trying to say, Senior Brother?"

Zhou Qian saw her cute expression and couldn't help but pat her head. "As long as the direction is right, we will eventually reach the destination. If we practice diligently, one day, that big red-haired monkey will be no match for us!"

"That will take a long time~" Lu Xiaoxian pulled a long face, but then brightened up. "It seems I must practice harder, too!"

"You two have great ambition!" the white ape chuckled.

As their moods shifted, the surrounding scenery became even more enchanting. There were streams and waterfalls, steep cliffs and limestone caves, but the pride of Ape Duke Peak was the clusters of fruit trees: fresh lychees, yellow persimmons, wax cherries, rabbit pears, plump dates, ripe plums, red pomegranates, green watermelons, and citrus fruits filled the trees. In no time, Lu Xiaoxian’s arms were full, her mouth stuffed, and she was thoroughly happy.

"Two Great Immortals, we have arrived."

Before them lay a valley, over a dozen yards high, narrow at both ends and thick in the middle, appearing entirely green.

"It is down below." The old white ape did not need to use a flying sword; it grabbed branches and vines, moving with speed. In a few breaths, it had climbed down. The two, lacking such skills, had to fly down.

They arrived at a place covered in dense vines. The old white ape chanted a few words and kowtowed three times. The vines parted automatically. It explained, "This is a formation set by my ancestor; it cannot be opened by anyone without our bloodline."

The two and the monkey walked inside. After about half an hour, they reached the depths of the cave. The old white ape suddenly exclaimed, and Zhou Qian, startled, asked, "Senior White Ape, what have you found?"

"Look at the stone walls on both sides!"

The two looked as instructed and saw many patterns drawn upon them: an old ape jumping and leaping, its fingers constantly changing, and a sword light that shifted its direction and angle.

"This is the Ape Duke Sword Manual!" the white ape said in astonishment.