Downstream of the Milky River.
A Kong lay bound, arms and legs tied in a five-flower knot, at the edge of a massive boulder. Tears welled in his eyes, and his great ape face was a portrait of grievance.
Beside him, another monkey demon kept gulping down unknown pills, glancing back now and then. The sight sent a chill racing down A Kong’s spine.
He desperately wanted to flee. Who understood him—his family! As a Battle-Heaven Crow Ape, this was already the second time a demon clan had tried to abduct him. Good heavens—are you all blind? Haven’t you noticed I’m male? If you’ve truly nothing better to do, why not go after some lovely female monkey demons instead of dragging me up here to Heaven? Tired of local fruit and craving fresh meat, are you? Bah—shameless dogs! If I could beat any of you, I’d hammer you to death on the spot. But these demons are all “cross-river dragons,” overwhelming me, the local boss of the Celestial Realm.
My only hope is that my little niece will soon return to the Wuwei Tower and fetch my big brother for help. Otherwise, this lifetime’s innocence will be truly lost! At the thought of the worst that could happen, two clear tears rolled slowly down his cheeks.
Just then, a figure appeared as if from nowhere—Ye Yu, with Xiao Meng the winged little ox by his side. When it comes to finding people, Xiao Meng is unrivaled: a cross-era holographic map at his fingertips—who could hide? Ye Yu had actually left Wuwei Tower but turned back to fetch Xiao Meng, enabling them to locate A Kong without difficulty.
It was worth noting that when Ye Yu returned, all the Immortal couples were gathered around, muttering something about “brain treatment.” Ye Yu, eager to rescue A Kong, hadn’t paused to ask questions—thankfully, they arrived just in time. Aside from extra tears, A Kong was unharmed.
“Boss, you’ve finally come. My innocence is saved—boo-hoo!” When moved, even a Battle-Heaven Crow Ape sheds tears of gratitude.
Ye Yu casually sliced through the demon-rope binding him, then cast a curious glance at the monkey demon. In coming, he had made no effort to conceal himself; the demon had seen him but done nothing—only watched in a daze, mouth still shoveling pills. His belly bulged unnaturally.
Ye Yu pressed his palms together and invoked the Burial of All Beings from the Great Dream of Three Thousand Roads. In the next moment, a heavy gray stone coffin appeared behind the monkey demon, its surface etched with countless arcane seals faintly glowing. As the coffin lid lifted, a powerful suction burst forth. The demon tried to flee but was too late—shadowy arms dragged him into the sarcophagus.
With a roar from within, the demon’s belly pulsed an eerie light, as if something terrible was about to explode. When the coffin slammed shut, a muffled boom resonated and the seals flared, forcibly suppressing the power within.
Then Ye Yu felt a warm current flood through him. Burial of All Beings grants cultivation with each soul interred—and a small chance of acquiring new methods or abilities. Normally the reward for sealing a Demon King-level being would be meager, but this time Ye Yu received strength at the cusp of the Demon Emperor realm—highly irregular. Even simple-minded A Kong sensed something was off and blurted out, “Boss, what’s going on here?”
“You should ask whoever bound you here, not me!” Ye Yu replied, already certain this was a setup—one aimed at him or Wuwei Tower. Otherwise the demon would have harmed A Kong long before now.
At that moment, slow, deliberate applause echoed out. “Immortal Ye, this is the great Dao you’ve comprehended—remarkable indeed.” Emerging from auspicious clouds, Mo Tianjun wore a genial smile. “That monkey demon was my specially cultivated Demon-Form Burst Talisman. Each pill he swallowed equals a thousand top-grade Burst Talismans. Of course, I never expected him to kill you—only to injure you or disrupt your qi flow. His sole purpose was to lure you here!”
Hearing this, Ye Yu couldn’t help but laugh. “If you just wanted to attract me, why go to all this trouble? Why not simply use a Communication Stone?”
Mo Tianjun’s expression flickered. “I feared you might not come. Honestly, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t have come looking for you so soon!”
Those were Mo Tianjun’s rare, honest words. His original plan had been to wait a century, until he neared the shattering of the Void, then strike—ensuring success and full absorption. But Ye Yu’s breakthrough speed had been astonishing, and Ye Yu seemed suspicious—else he ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ wouldn’t have made that cryptic remark. Mo Tianjun had to abandon his plan, heal his wounds, prepare fully, then act. That was Change One.
Yet fate works in mysterious ways. In his haste to recover, Mo Tianjun had sought treatment from the Daoist physician Wuya, only to chance upon Ye Yu. Enemies seem destined to meet—and he still hadn’t wanted to force a confrontation, not yet being fully ready. So he showed every restraint.
But every act of forbearance sparked rumors in the Three Corpses Hall. His ruthless subordinates, demons who respected only the strong, grew disappointed. Seeing him hesitate even as Elder Tao Huaming died before his eyes, they began to doubt their leader’s strength. And now, within the Divine Physician’s sanctuary, he hesitated again—deepening their disillusionment, making them whisper that Mo Tianjun had grown old and could no longer wield the blade.
