Chapter 141: Flat Peach Pit

An aged ape wielded human swordsmanship that had reached the pinnacle of mastery. This single strike contained a myriad of variations, and every single variation... was filled with infinite killing intent!

Song Yue had no time for hesitation; he swung his saber to meet the attack.

Being extremely cautious, he directly channeled the Qi of thunder into the arm holding the saber. When saber and sword collided, it erupted in a violent roar.

Terrifying energy exploded at the point of impact.

Both combatants retreated simultaneously.

Song Yue steadied his footing and looked with astonishment at the white-browed aged ape before him. This was, by far, the opponent with the strongest combat power he had ever encountered!

To think it was a beast.

What surprised Song Yue even more was that this white-browed aged ape looked remarkably similar to the human demon king he had forced to undergo the heavenly tribulation...

Had he not witnessed with his own eyes the other white-browed aged ape successfully survive the heavenly tribulation and enter the cultivation world, he would have definitely mistaken the two for the same individual.

The white-browed aged ape gazed coldly at Song Yue, projecting a frigid spiritual intent: "Do you think that just because my elder brother has left, you can now do whatever you please? Even a human has come to take advantage of us. Die!"

As it spoke, the white-browed aged ape once again brandished the long sword in its hand, thrusting it toward Song Yue.

This aged ape's swordsmanship was exceptionally brilliant, and its physical strength was astonishingly great.

Although its overall realm had not yet stepped into the transformation domain, purely in terms of combat power, it was in no way inferior to those beings at the demon king level.

To think that within the territory of that white-ape demon king, such a terrifying expert was still concealed.

Encountering an opponent like this was quite rare for Song Yue.

It served as a perfect test for the fruits of his recent cultivation.

In his mind, he visualized the Dao Scripture of the Eight Desolations, running both his spiritual and physical techniques. His internal organs roared, his blood boiled, and the Qi of rampaging thunder surged through his entire body like a vast net in an instant!

Rumble!

Successive roars echoed through the air.

The frequency of metal clashing against metal was unimaginably high.

The martial arts techniques of both sides were remarkably brilliant, and their strength... was incomparably formidable.

Purely in terms of realm, Song Yue was definitely inferior to the white-browed aged ape before him.

The opponent was already a great demon at the peak of the Pill Gathering tier, whereas Song Yue was still a grandmaster of martial arts.

Of course, the white-browed aged ape on the opposite side certainly wouldn't see it that way.

How could a mere martial arts grandmaster fail to even block a single sword strike from it?

How could he possibly have the ability to fight it to a standstill?

After exchanging blows for a while, the white-browed aged ape suddenly leaped far backward, stopped its attack, and projected a low spiritual fluctuation as it asked, "Are you that Song Yue?"

Am I that famous?

Song Yue also stopped, looking at the white-browed aged ape across from him, and replied, "So what if I am, and what if I'm not?"

"I have heard of you. You are a formidable young human martial arts practitioner!"

The white-browed aged ape simply ceased fighting, and its gaze softened as well: "I do not agree with my brother's approach."

Song Yue:?

What does this mean? Is this... an attempt at peace talks?

The white-browed aged ape stated, "The Beast King Scripture is not something the demon race of the mortal world can afford to touch. Whoever touches it dies!"

"Back then, the Fox King possessed magnificent spirit and could be called a generation's supreme overlord among the demon race. And what was the outcome? Did he not still meet an end where his body perished and his soul scattered?"

Looking at Song Yue, the white-browed aged ape no longer communicated through spiritual fluctuations, but spoke directly with its voice, "Young man, I have no desire to become your enemy. Would you be willing to join me in touring this secret realm?"

Song Yue was somewhat at a loss. Truth be told, his understanding of these great demons lingering in the mortal world was extremely limited.

Even though he had personally sent away a group of demon kings, to speak of true understanding, he really didn't have much.

"You needn't worry. My philosophy differs from that of my elder brother; I have never advocated making an enemy of humanity."

The white-browed aged ape looked at Song Yue and said, "Do you know why the various demon kings of the mortal world rack their brains to lie dormant here, refusing to ascend no matter what?"

Song Yue shook his head.

The white-browed aged ape said, "Let us walk as we speak. You do not need to harbor such heavy guardedness against me. You might not necessarily be able to kill me, and I can do nothing to you either. An outstanding young human like you is rarely seen. I merely wish to chat with you and discuss the Dao."

With that, it turned around of its own accord and walked toward the complex of buildings without showing any defense.

Song Yue raised an eyebrow, put away the Dragon-Patterned Saber that Slays Immortals, and followed behind.

"The demon race is different from human practitioners," the white-browed aged ape said as they walked. "A great Confucian sage once said that heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs... Actually, from the perspective of our demon race, those words are a bit overly sentimental. In our eyes, the heavens uniquely favor the human race!"

"Being equally gifted living beings, the human body naturally forms a small universe of its own. As long as they practice step by step without going astray, they can easily step into extremely lofty realms."

The white-browed aged ape walked up to a tree laden with crimson fruits the size of fists, reached out to pluck one, and casually tossed it to Song Yue: "Big Apple. It matures once every three years, and eating it can enhance one's physical strength."

Song Yue had the flower petals of Old Peony, so he wasn't worried that the fruit might be poisonous. He caught it and took a bite; it was sweet, juicy, and far superior to ordinary fruits in the mortal world.

The white-browed aged ape continued walking forward, picking up the previous thread of conversation: "But what about demons? Even during the most prosperous era of the Fox Clan back then, it was exceedingly difficult for their younger generation to cultivate. Every single step was a barrier. That distressed little Fox Princess possessed exceptional talent, yet after all these years, her realm remains very low."

"When all is said and done, it is simply difficult to be a demon!"

"To grow into a mortal demon king, one must expend at least several times more effort than a human practitioner of equivalent talent to possibly achieve it."

"Upon reaching this realm, human practitioners can calmly face the heavenly tribulation, ascend to the cultivation world, and easily find a powerful backing—either by joining an ancient sect or entering a major school. At the very worst, becoming a rogue cultivator usually allows them to remain carefree and untethered."

Song Yue asked a question: "And what about demons?"

The white-browed aged ape paused in its steps and smiled bitterly, shaking its head: "After ascending into the cultivation world, the very first problem mortal demon kings must face is survival."

"Do not be fooled into thinking that traces of demons can be found within the major ancient sects and schools. The living environment of demons in the cultivation world can be described as extremely atrocious!"

"Guardians of the Dao slaying demons and eliminating devils?" Song Yue asked.

The white-browed aged ape shook its head.

It said indifferently: "When a tribe is weak and lacks protection, it naturally becomes an easy target."

"Doesn't the cultivation world also have territories and forces belonging to the demon race?" Song Yue found it somewhat hard to believe.

"It's useless. Although the human race cannot be said to be truly united either, their population is massive, and their factions of all sizes permeate the entire cultivation world. The demon race, however, harbors severe xenophobic sentiments and rarely accepts demons from outside their own clans."

"Upon entering the cultivation world, if one fails to quickly find a powerful backing, the outcome is usually very tragic."

Song Yue frowned slightly and said, "After a demon transforms into human form, can't they perfectly conceal the demonic aura on their body?"
The white-browed aged ape let out a huff of laughter and said, "That only applies in the mortal world! In the cultivation world, any big shot at the Divine Separation tier can see right through it with a single glance!"

"Those with decent appearances and better racial backgrounds might have the chance to serve as mounts, pull carriages, or act as mountain-guarding beasts. As for those with ugly appearances and humble origins... once they encounter those supreme experts, almost none can escape death."

The white-browed aged ape looked at Song Yue: "Do you now understand why those demon kings are unwilling to ascend?"

Song Yue nodded, thinking to himself that even if he understood, it was already too late—who told them to bully his fox?

"The fundamental reason they wish to contend for the Beast King Scripture also lies right here," the white-browed aged ape revealed yet another high-level secret of the demon race. "Beings capable of becoming demon kings are hardly ever overly stupid. Of course... there are a rare few with exceptionally good fortune, but those don't count."

"It's not that they don't understand that even if they truly obtained the Beast King Scripture, they might not necessarily be able to comprehend it. Didn't the Fox King, with his heaven-defying talent back then, fail to succeed?"

"In truth, they all want to get their hands on the Beast King Scripture. If there is hope of comprehending it, they will comprehend it; if there is no hope, they will hurry into the cultivation world to find an ancient demon sect and offer it up as a tribute..."

Song Yue asked in puzzlement, "Offer it up? To seek protection?"

The white-browed aged ape nodded: "Precisely so."

How somewhat humble!

The white-browed aged ape glanced at him and said with calm, unrippled eyes, "The higher the ceiling of a world, the more suffocatingly miserable all living things find their existence. It's just that, by comparison, the situation for the human race is slightly better than that of the demon race—though only slightly."

These words suddenly made Song Yue fall somewhat silent.

Thinking of how the Three Pines Ancient Sect had suppressed his master, this old white ape... living in the mortal world, truly saw things with absolute clarity!

At this moment, the aged ape led Song Yue into the front hall of the architectural complex. Inside were two mischievous little monkey demons wearing pretty little skirts and flower crowns on their heads.

Seeing the white-browed aged ape return with a young human, the two young female monkey demons grew bold enough to look him up and down, and subsequently, faint looks of disdain appeared in their eyes.

Humans really do look so ugly!

That's right, they don't even have fur growing on their faces!

The white-browed aged ape waved a hand: "Have you no eyes to see that a guest has arrived? Hurry and go brew some tea!"

Then it smiled at Song Yue: "My daughters are ignorant and unmannered, making you a laughingstock."

Song Yue also smiled and shook his head, taking a seat on the chair under the guidance of the white-browed aged ape.

The white-browed aged ape stated, "In ancient times, this place was the Dao domain of a supreme expert in the cultivation world. That supreme expert established a massive sect in the mortal world, and after attaining the Dao and ascending, this place fell to us brothers as a windfall."

"In the blink of an eye... several hundred years have already passed!"

It felt a trace of emotion, a faint sorrow surfacing in its gaze, and spoke softly: "Throughout these long years, my brother and I have depended on each other for survival. With this blessed paradise, our days have been quite carefree..."

As it spoke, it looked at Song Yue: "They all fell into your schemes and were forced to undergo the tribulation, didn't they?"

Before adding a quick smile, it said, "You needn't worry, I have no intention of blaming you. Our stances differ, and what you did is entirely excusable."

Song Yue smiled slightly without saying much more.

Up to this point, although the white-browed aged ape had shown no hostility toward him, he had after all tricked its elder brother into the cultivation world. Who knew what it was thinking in its heart?

At this moment, the two young female monkey demons brought in tea and fruits. After setting them down, they were shooed away by the white-browed aged ape.

随后, the white-browed aged ape said to Song Yue, "Do you know about the time when the various demons of the mortal world besieged the Fox Clan in years past?"

Song Yue shook his head.

The white-browed aged ape said, "Although my elder brother went there back then, he did not make a move against the Fox King. Of course, it wasn't out of any benevolent intentions; it's simply that my brother is more calculating and dislikes standing out."

"Therefore, I have an ungratified request..."

Song Yue was slightly startled and looked at the aged ape.

The aged ape said, "There is no deep-seated hatred between us. Even if one day in the future, that little fox girl seeks revenge against my elder brother, that is a matter for the future..."

Song Yue nodded: "What your elder brother is like, I do not know, so it is not my place to comment much. But with you, at least, there is truly no enmity, and furthermore, your swordsmanship is truly admirable!"

The white-browed aged ape revealed a smile: "Your saber technique is also the only one I have ever witnessed in my life!"

Song Yue looked at it: "And so?"

The white-browed aged ape: "And so, I wish to make a deal with you. Help me beat back that group of great demons outside who are attempting to come in and carve up my family estate, and I will gift you a sword scripture, as well as... a seed."

"A seed?"

Song Yue did not refuse outright. Anything that could make the other party bring it up with such extreme caution was definitely not an ordinary object.

"Yes, a peach pit, but its origin is immensely grand!"

The white-browed aged ape said with a mysterious expression: "It is rumored to be a flat peach pit from the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Garden!"

Song Yue: "..."

The white-browed aged ape said earnestly, "You must not think I am spouting nonsense. You will know once you lay eyes on that peach pit!"

With that, it stood up and walked toward the inner chamber: "Wait here for a moment, I will be right back."

While sipping his tea, Song Yue gazed at the scenery outside.

At this moment, a little monkey girl wearing a small skirt, with fur covering her entire face and legs, sneaked in from outside. It was precisely one of the two from earlier.

Looking at Song Yue, she asked, "Human, is the outside world fun?"

Song Yue smiled: "Quite fun."

A yearning look appeared on the little monkey girl's face as she said, "I want to go outside to play, but Daddy won't allow it!"

With a somewhat conflicted expression, she looked at Song Yue and lowered her voice: "Can you beg my daddy to let me go to the mortal world with you to play?"

At this moment, the white-browed aged ape returned. Seeing the little monkey girl standing beside Song Yue, it frowned immediately and said, "Go on outside to play, don't disturb our honored guest here!"

The little monkey girl pouted and skipped away happily.

Following that, the white-browed aged ape produced a wooden box that clearly bore the marks of great age, its surface covered in densely inscribed, complex runic patterns.

It then carefully unsealed the runic barrier on top and gently cracked open the wooden box by a sliver.

The Yuxu Traversing Heaven Stele within Song Yue's body... instantly emitted a violent wave of fluctuations.

Simultaneously, the blade of grass occupying his spiritual sea also began to sway violently.

Damn it, the stone monument acting up is one thing, why are you joining in on the excitement?

Right at that moment, his lungs—occupied by the Beast King Scripture—and one of his kidneys—occupied by the Dark Scripture—also began to roar in unison.

What the hell, are these things trying to stage a rebellion?

Song Yue was somewhat startled.

Could it be that this wooden box truly contained the peach seed from the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Garden?