Chapter 219: Chapter 208: Subduing the Lightning Golden Monkey
Zhaang Ye realized that while this Lightning Golden Monkey was as fast as lightning and possessed mountainous strength, it had one major weakness: it cared deeply for the Pseudo Spirit Tree.
After their last clash, the Lightning Golden Monkey had forced itself to land right beneath the Pseudo Spirit Tree, as if it feared Zhaang Ye would harm the tree.
Knowing this weakness, Zhaang Ye instantly had a plan. He laughed out loud and took the initiative, striding step by step toward the Pseudo Spirit Tree.
"SKREEE SKREEE SKREEE SKREEE—"
Seeing Zhaang Ye’s actions, the Lightning Golden Monkey was both shocked and enraged. Its figure flashed like lightning, its two arms swinging like iron pillars as it launched a desperate assault on Zhaang Ye.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—"
Zhaang Ye unleashed his Mountain-Breaking Slash, clashing with the Lightning Golden Monkey again and again. After dozens of exchanges, the immense force made his arms ache unbearably. The skin on his arms split inch by inch, revealing the flesh underneath—a gruesome sight.
However, Zhaang Ye paid it no mind. His Heavy Saber was still just as fast and just as ruthless as he met the Lightning Golden Monkey head-on, strike for strike. With every slash he made during the exchange, Zhaang Ye took another step closer to the Pseudo Spirit Tree, infuriating the Lightning Golden Monkey into shrieking erratically and attacking him with all its might.
The Lightning Golden Monkey’s strength was originally far superior to Zhaang Ye’s. But after Zhaang Ye’s Mountain-Breaking Slash reached Minor Achievement, his combat power had greatly increased. Although he couldn’t defeat the Lightning Golden Monkey, the beast couldn’t hope to defeat him either.
Moreover, now that Zhaang Ye knew the Pseudo Spirit Tree was the Lightning Golden Monkey’s weakness, he deliberately advanced toward it step by step. This forced the monkey to leap about frantically, and for a moment, it was actually pushed onto the back foot.
"Hm?"
After battling the Lightning Golden Monkey for over two Hours, Zhaang Ye suddenly felt the fist-sized Star Luo Stone in his robe twitch slightly.
’Strange! Why would this Star Luo Stone twitch?’ Zhaang Ye wondered. However, he knew this wasn’t the time to investigate. He tossed the Star Luo Stone aside and launched an all-out assault on the Lightning Golden Monkey.
Relying on the Heavy Saber in his hand, Zhaang Ye pressed forward step by step, forcing the Lightning Golden Monkey into a constant retreat. With one advancing and the other retreating, it took Zhaang Ye only four Hours to arrive within ten zhang of the Pseudo Spirit Tree.
"CLANG!"
After a fierce clash, the man and the monkey faced each other from a distance, neither making another move.
The Lightning Golden Monkey was an intelligent Pseudo Spirit Beast. It had fought Zhaang Ye for so long, and although it had held the upper hand the entire time, it ultimately couldn’t gain any real advantage. It now understood that Zhaang Ye was not someone to be trifled with. Seeing that Zhaang Ye had stopped, it didn’t dare to rashly attack.
From the repeated head-on clashes, blood was seeping from Zhaang Ye’s mouth, nose, and eyes, making for a terrifying sight. But Zhaang Ye didn’t care. He laughed, pointed at the Pseudo Spirit Tree before them, and said, "Little monkey, if you dare make another move, I’ll chop this tree down."
"SKREEE! SKREEE! SKREEE!—"
The Lightning Golden Monkey was indeed intelligent. Upon hearing Zhaang Ye’s words, a blazing fury ignited in its eyes, but it didn’t dare to act, terrified that Zhaang Ye would actually chop down the Pseudo Spirit Tree.
It knew all too well how formidable Zhaang Ye’s Saber Technique was. Each slash unleashed a terrifying Tornado, and its tearing force was incredibly powerful. Zhaang Ye was now only a little over ten zhang from the Pseudo Spirit Tree. With just a single, light slash, the tree would probably be swept into the sky by the Tornado.
Seeing how much the Lightning Golden Monkey cared for the Pseudo Spirit Tree, Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. By this point in the fight, his entire body was riddled with internal injuries, and his Dragon Elephant Power was mostly depleted. If the Lightning Golden Monkey had ignored his threat and launched a life-or-death attack, he would have had no choice but to make a pitiful escape.
Having intimidated the Lightning Golden Monkey, the next part was much easier. Zhaang Ye pointed at the valley and said, "I am the master of this valley. Everything here is mine."
"SKREEE! SKREEE! SKREEE! SKREEE!—"
The Lightning Golden Monkey waved its arms, protesting Zhaang Ye’s words.
Zhaang Ye completely ignored the Lightning Golden Monkey’s protest. He said with a grin, "Protesting is useless. You can’t beat me. If you want to stay in this valley, if you want to cultivate under this Pseudo Spirit Tree, you’d better just obediently listen to me."
Seeing that Zhaang Ye was looking down on it, the Lightning Golden Monkey shrieked, flipping dozens of times in mid-air, as if it might charge forward to fight Zhaang Ye to the death at any moment.
Zhaang Ye chuckled slyly and said, "Not convinced? Let me tell you, the more I fight, the stronger I get. You saw it just now, right? I went outside for a bit and came back twice as strong. The next time I go out, I’ll be four times stronger, and you’ll be no match for me. When that time comes, not only will I uproot this tree, I’ll even pluck every last hair from your body..."
"SKREEE! SKREEE! SKREEE!—"
Hearing Zhaang Ye’s threats, a trace of terror appeared in the Lightning Golden Monkey’s eyes. Although it had some intelligence, its mind was no match for Zhaang Ye’s. After hearing his menacing words, it immediately became afraid.
Once the Lightning Golden Monkey had quieted down, Zhaang Ye chuckled. "Since I’m the master of this valley, I’ll be doing my Cultivation here from now on. When I’m cultivating, you are not to disturb me, or I’ll pluck all your fur. Also, this Pseudo Spirit Tree belongs to me too. I’m going to cultivate under this tree..."
"SKREEE! SKREEE! SKREEE! SKREEE!—"
Hearing that Zhaang Ye intended to take over the Pseudo Spirit Tree, the Lightning Golden Monkey instantly became agitated, waving its arms wildly in obvious, strong opposition.
Zhaang Ye chuckled. "Let me finish. You’re the one who took care of this tree and helped it grow, so you can continue to look after it. Every six months, I’ll permit you to cultivate under the Pseudo Spirit Tree for two months. How does that sound?"
Negotiating terms with the Lightning Golden Monkey was a move born of necessity. Zhaang Ye’s current strength was insufficient to subdue it by brute force. He had a Long Whip at his waist, a genuine True Artifact of immense power. The problem was, the Lightning Golden Monkey was faster than sound. Even with a True Artifact, Zhaang Ye wouldn’t be able to land a single strike on it.
Since he couldn’t subdue it with force, his only option was to pacify the Lightning Golden Monkey for now. It wouldn’t be too late to fully subjugate it once he was stronger.
Zhaang Ye was quite confident in his Cultivation speed. In just another year, he would be able to reach the Late Fifth Layer of the Dragon Elephant Skill. And after a year of training, he believed his Saber Technique would also reach the Great Success Realm. By then, his strength would be more than ten times greater than it was now. Subduing this Lightning Golden Monkey would be a piece of cake.
After thinking for a moment, the Lightning Golden Monkey finally gave two soft squeaks and reluctantly agreed to Zhaang Ye’s terms.
Seeing the Lightning Golden Monkey agree, Zhaang Ye heaved a sigh of relief. The monkey was as fast as lightning. If it had been determined to oppose him, he probably wouldn’t even have time to cultivate. It was for the best that this hidden danger could be resolved so smoothly.
Atop a distant mountain peak in the valley, Fang Caiying stood hovering in the void. Seeing Zhaang Ye subdue the three- to four-hundred-year-old Lightning Golden Monkey, a flicker of astonishment crossed her eyes.
When she had entered the True Hall several decades ago, she had also received a valley like Zhaang Ye and encountered a Pseudo Spirit Beast. In the end, it had taken her a full two years to subdue that Pseudo Spirit Beast and officially begin her Cultivation in the valley.
She knew Zhaang Ye’s strength. She had thought that no matter how capable he was, it would take him at least a year or a year and a half to subdue the Lightning Golden Monkey. She never expected that he would manage to do it in just one day.
Hearing Zhaang Ye use every trick in the book—sweet talk, intimidation, and threats—to forcibly subdue the Lightning Golden Monkey, a smile touched Fang Caiying’s lips. She murmured to herself, "This Little Junior Brother has excellent Comprehension and adaptability. No wonder Master took him as a disciple. But he’s a bit too young. I’m afraid some people will come looking for trouble with him next. We’ll just have to see if he can handle it..."
「In the valley.」
After dealing with the Lightning Golden Monkey, Zhaang Ye first took a tour of the valley. He found that although the scenery was quite beautiful and the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi was fairly dense, there wasn’t even a small wooden cabin for Cultivation.
It was difficult to focus on Cultivation without a place for shelter. Left with no other choice, Zhaang Ye could only take matters into his own hands.
Zhaang Ye went to a patch of trees, drew his Heavy Saber, and cut down several large ones. He then split the logs and spent a full two days building a small wooden cabin by the lake to serve as his place of Cultivation.
After finishing his work, Zhaang Ye remembered the Star Luo Stone he was carrying. He took it out and examined it closely in his hands.
After a moment of contemplation, a faint golden light flashed from Zhaang Ye’s hand as he channeled his Dragon Elephant Power into the Star Luo Stone.
As soon as Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Power entered the Star Luo Stone, it immediately encountered a mysterious aura. Strangely, this aura didn’t attack. Instead, it merged with his Dragon Elephant Qi as perfectly as milk blending with water.
Following this fusion, Zhaang Ye felt a boom in his mind as a tyrannical consciousness abruptly invaded his thoughts. Before Zhaang Ye could react, a thunderous voice was already echoing in his head.
"Eh? The little fellow actually possesses Ancient Elephant Power. No wonder you were able to obtain my Cultivation Technique. Listen up, kid. I am the Great Wilderness Ascendant, the first Hall Master of the Wei Kingdom True Hall.
While serving as the True Hall Master, I created this Cultivation Technique. However, for various reasons, I never finished it. Whether you choose to cultivate it or not is up to you..."
After the voice finished speaking, Zhaang Ye suddenly discovered that a new Cultivation Method had appeared in his mind out of nowhere. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
