Chapter 142 You Are a Good Friend!

However, even if it were truly that legendary flat-peaches pit, so much time has passed that it would have long since completely lost its vitality. It could hardly be planted and grown anymore, right?

After all, even those deities from myths and legends have vanished; how miraculous could a mere peach pit possibly remain?

Besides, if such a flat-peach tree could genuinely be grown, would the white-browed old ape and his brother have kept it sealed away all this time?

Looking at Song Yue, the white-browed old ape spoke with candid composure: "You are probably thinking that since this is such a magnificent treasure, how could I bear to part with it, and why did I not attempt to plant it myself?"

Song Yue smiled and did not deny it.

The white-browed old ape gave a bitter smile and said, "It is not that we did not want to, but that we could not!"

"Over the years, we have traveled to many places, including the Kunlun Secret Realm. Previously, every time it opened, we would personally go looking for soil capable of nurturing it, but alas... in the end, we were never able to find any."

"Ultimately, we reached a conclusion: this mortal world... no longer possesses soil capable of sustaining it!"

"What I can guarantee, however, is that it is alive. Unfortunately, we lack the capability to make it sprout and grow. If things continue this way, I truly fear that one day it will completely lose its vitality, and then we... would become eternal sinners!"

Looking intently at Song Yue with a solemn expression, the white-browed old ape said, "That is why I am taking it out."

"At the same time, I have two other purposes. The first is to deal with that horde of great demons outside."

The old ape sighed, "Relying on myself alone, it is very difficult to handle them. Once they break in, the consequences would be unthinkable, and this pure land would inevitably be plunged into bloodshed and devastation."

"The second reason is that I hope, should the day ever come when you truly manage to grow this peach pit, you might look after my descendants if the opportunity arises."

Song Yue nodded. "That is not a problem!"

Even inside his own body, things were practically on the verge of rebelling.

Clearly, even if the wooden box did not contain a flat-peach pit, it was definitely an extraordinary item!

A relieved smile appeared on the white-browed old ape's face. "In addition, I have one more unrequited request. I hope you will find an opportunity to persuade that little fox princess not to hold a grudge against my elder brother. It cannot be said that the destruction of the fox clan back then had nothing to do with my brother, but... he was not the mastermind."

Song Yue thought for a moment and replied, "Very well, if matters are truly as you described, I can help with this favor!"

"That is wonderful!"

The white-browed old ape handed the wooden box to Song Yue. At the moment of handing it over, a strong reluctance flickered in its eyes.

Monkeys love peaches; if it had been able to grow it itself, how could it ever have given such a precious seed to someone else?

Afterward, the white-browed old ape donned its battle armor and hauled a dark-iron staff out from the weapon vault. It appeared majestic and imposing as it stood before Song Yue. "It has been many years since I last put on armor. Today, alongside my young brother, we shall kill them so that not a single piece of armor remains!"

Song Yue laughed in spite of himself. This old ape was definitely far more lovable than its brother, and in all probability, it was also a drama enthusiast!

Subsequently, the old ape led Song Yue, intending to leave through the entrance.

Song Yue waved a hand. "Let's change locations..."

Only then did the old ape recall something. Looking at Song Yue with a puzzled expression, it asked, "There is no gateway at the back, so how did you get in?"

Song Yue smiled and replied, "Among thousands of secret realms, I can come and go as I please!"

The old ape: "..."

The thunder-god mouth twitched slightly, as it suddenly felt that its decision not to make an enemy of this young human was a very wise one!

Song Yue led the old ape, located the vibration frequency of the barrier, and simultaneously reorganized the energy of this small region. A gateway made of energy... thus appeared right before the two of them!

In the past, Song Yue could only cross through barriers himself. Now, having mastered the method of restructuring energy arrangement patterns, when faced with this sort of not particularly formidable barrier, he was already capable of producing a gateway within a short time and on a small scale!

The white-browed old ape wore a look of profound shock, once again lamenting inwardly: Fortunately, I did not offend him; otherwise... it would be hard to live in peace hereafter!

The sturdy barrier in your eyes was a place where he could come and go as he pleased, far more convenient than walking through a city gate!

Ultimately, the heavens still favored humanity!

The sounds of battle across this vast snow-capped mountain remained earth-shattering.

The snow-covered mountains within a radius of several hundred miles triggered a chain reaction of avalanches.

Fortunately, this was an uninhabited region; otherwise, these successive avalanches alone would have been enough to bury an entire city!

The various great demons had all been driven to a frenzied bloodlust.

Everyone knew that the white-browed old ape's cave dwelling was a genuine blessed land of immortals and heavens, teeming with countless treasures.

It was an absolute opportunity to strike it rich and get wealthy overnight!

There were almost no demon kings left in the mortal world, and the chance was right before them!

The moment Song Yue and the white-browed old ape appeared, they were spotted by quite a few great demons.

That crowd of blood-crazed great demons immediately charged toward the two of them.

However, just as they reached close quarters, a great demon cried out in alarm, "The Ape King!"

This exclamation was no small matter, nearly scaring the wits out of the swarming demons who were locked in a chaotic brawl across the mountains.

Their hearts gave a violent jolt.

The Ape King hadn't left?

Then did they still have any hope of survival?

Fortunately, some great demons knew about the affairs of the white-browed ape brothers and shouted at the top of their lungs, "What Ape King! This is the Ape King's younger brother, and his cultivation realm is not high! Everyone attack together, kill him, and the blessed land inside will completely belong to us!"

"Right, kill the biggest eyesore first!"

The white-browed old ape was so enraged that its whiskers fluttered, and it nearly passed out on the spot.

I may not be as formidable as my older brother, but I am not that weak either!

Wielding the dark-iron staff, it smashed it fiercely toward a great demon.

Song Yue followed closely beside the white-browed old ape, not rushing to attack as he observed the situation.

He discovered that among the remaining horde of great demons, there were still at least several dozen, while lesser demons were countless across the mountains and plains.

These lesser demons all hailed from various major demon factions in the human world.

Their purpose in appearing here was also singular: once their own boss achieved victory, they could swarm forward and sweep through everything inside the blessed land in the shortest possible time!

It was simply because the various great demons had fought themselves into a frenzy that these lesser demons had also been dragged into the fray.

Thus, the demons who had initially stood on the sidelines were now engaged in frantic slaughter as well, their blood staining vast swathes of white snow a deeply shocking crimson.

A monstrous demonic aura filled the entire region, and billowing dark clouds blanketed the sky.

By this time, someone had also noticed Song Yue, the human. A sharp-eyed demon recognized his identity and shrieked loudly, "That human is Song Yue!"

"He is in cahoots with that old ape!"

"Kill him!"

Other great demons frowned. Weren't this brat... and the fox princess the ones who had severely plotted against those demon kings earlier? Why was he appearing here now?

Quite a few great demons were somewhat baffled.

However, this did not hinder their decision—

"That human, try to capture him alive!"

"He is connected to the Beast Emperor Scripture!"

"Catch him alive, don't kill him!"

A group of great demons at the Pellet-Gathering tier clamored loudly, swiftly uniting their front, temporarily setting aside their mutual grievances, and charged toward Song Yue together.

The white-browed old ape swung its heavy dark-iron staff, batting away a Pellet-Gathering wolf demon that lunged at it with a single strike.

"Even a little puppy dares to act presumptuously in my presence?"

Hum!

The iron staff emitted a heavy whistling sound as it cleaved through the air, the shockwaves of its power striking the mountainside and shattering massive boulders into flying fragments that scattered in all directions.

Song Yue had originally thought the old ape was most proficient in swordsmanship, but now he realized it was remarkably versatile.

The heavy dark-iron staff was whirled into an impenetrable blur in its hands, possessing a terrifying might that virtually no one could block.

Those great demons who had initially looked down on the white-browed old ape quickly learned of its prowess.

Consequently, many great demons shifted their focus and charged toward Song Yue instead.

Song Yue brandished the Dragon-Patterned Immortal-Slaying Saber, not even activating his protective Qi, his internal organs rumbling as his vital energy erupted.

With a single slash, he cleaved toward a massive red centipede!

He recognized this centipede; it was the exact one that had escaped from the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Southern Frontier earlier!

Clang!

The piercing blade-light hacked into the body of the giant centipede, erupting in a dazzling shower of sparks.

A massive wound was instantly carved into the centipede's body.

The blood-red centipede emitted a painful shriek and tried to burrow deep into the thick snowdrifts.

"Still trying to run?"

Song Yue sneered, once again wielding the long saber in his hand.

"You had a great time bullying my fox, didn't you?"

Puff!

This saber strike tore an abyss-like ravine through the heavy snow layer that had just undergone an avalanche, landing with absolute precision right upon the bloody centipede's wound.

The giant centipede was instantly split in half, hacked into two distinct pieces!

From behind, a snow-white falcon came soaring through the air. Compared to those gigantic demons, it appeared quite dainty, with a wingspan of only a little over three meters, yet its speed was terrifyingly fast!

In the blink of an eye, it closed in on Song Yue, extending a pair of sharp talons to viciously rake at his shoulders.

Song Yue countered with a backhanded strike of his saber!

The blade-light transformed into a ribbon of white Qi, slashing toward the falcon's talons.

This was a strike embodying the supreme profound meanings contained within the Eight Desolations Dao Scripture, and its structural arrangement of energy was refined to an exquisite degree!

Song Yue had only recently comprehended it, and this swift white falcon served as perfect practice.

As the blade radiance swept past, both sharp talons of the white falcon were lopped off on the spot.

It uttered a miserable cry and frantically beat its wings to fly high into the firmament.

Song Yue threw out a palm strike!

High up in the sky, starlight flickered, bursting forth one after another upon the white falcon's body.

Feathers scattered everywhere in an instant!

In the fraction of a second, the white falcon was a bloody mess, its entire plumage blasted into nothingness!

It flew frantically toward the heavens, attempting to escape.

Song Yue casually grabbed the alloy spear and hurled it fiercely toward the sky.

The alloy spear transformed into a streak of light, piercing straight through the white falcon's body with a soft thud.

Blood sprayed wildly!

The white falcon plummeted from the sky.

In a fleeting moment, Song Yue had slain two great demons!

This instantly shook all the demonic living creatures in the region.

"That human is terrifying!"

"Attack together!"

"Tear him to pieces!"

A crowd of great demons clamored as they surged toward Song Yue.

Meanwhile, some of the shrewder ones seized the opportunity to slip away.

Tear him to pieces my foot! Didn't they just see the blood-red centipede and the white falcon instantly slaughtered by him?

Only a brainless fool would fight such an enemy; that was simply asking for an early death!

Over on the other side, the white-browed old ape grew more and more valiant as the battle wore on. The battle armor it wore was already stained crimson with blood, yet facing seven or eight great demons simultaneously, it did not fall into a disadvantage at all.

Song Yue also unleashed his supreme combat prowess.

Fighting and looting at the same time, he collected ingredients and demon beast pellets alike!

He was practically like a high-efficiency, terrifying harvester, butchering his way straight through.

During this process, his lungs and one of his kidneys acted like perpetual motion machines, continuously supplying him with formidable energy.

Even wisps of demonic Qi and fiend flames occasionally radiated from his body.

Yet the demonic creatures, terrified out of their wits by the slaughter, paid no attention to this, their initial courage having dwindled to virtually nothing.

More and more great demons began to retreat, and some even fled shamelessly.

At this very moment, countless satellites across the globe had locked onto this region, though almost no one knew what was actually happening here.

Because the sky was completely obscured by billowing dark clouds churned up by demonic Qi.

Various probing equipment were equally incapable of approaching this area of extreme magnetic anomaly.

Everyone was guessing what on earth was going on today?

First, a multitude of demon kings had been sent away, and then a horde of demons had gathered for a massive battle in the uninhabited snow mountain region of China's Western Territory.

Could the demon clan in the mortal world be undergoing a drastic upheaval?

Major forces were paying close attention, yet none could imagine that a group of terrifying great demons was currently being dominated by fear at the hands of a young human.

When Song Yue finally felt his strength beginning to wane, there was no longer a single trace of the demon clan in his vicinity.

Even the great demons that had surrounded the white-browed old ape had all retreated!

Only a few great demons whose realms infinitely approached human transformation lingered in the distance with unconcealed reluctance. They were all stained with blood, and some bore severe injuries.

Today had been thoroughly unlucky!

Trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used as bait.

They had suffered losses on all fronts.

They had thought that taking advantage of the forced ascension of those demon kings would allow them to feast sumptuously, only to have the extreme misfortune of encountering this terrifying young human.

Human martial arts practitioners had never been this monstrous in thousands of years!

This young man reminded many of the demon clans of that peerless figure who had emerged abruptly sixty years ago, Lu Shengfu!

Subsequently, a great demon who possessed more extensive intelligence shared a secret—

"This Song Yue is a disciple of the Master!"

Those great demons who were only now learning this news instantly looked like they were mourning their deceased parents, sighing dejectedly—

"Such a person won't stay long in the mortal world, right?"

"Hurry up and ascend! Can you please leave a path to survival for us?"

"Too dangerous, I'm going back into seclusion!"

"I shall never set foot in China for the rest of my life!"

The surviving group of great demons, along with their respective subordinates, rapidly scattered like birds and beasts.

It wasn't that they didn't want to fight, but that they simply couldn't win!

That young human was monstrously strong!

Great demons at the Pellet-Gathering tier couldn't even last a few rounds in front of him.

To have survived was already an extremely fortunate matter.

The once-sacred snow mountain was now an utter mess.

Silence had finally descended completely.

Standing atop the peak and gazing at the corpses of the demon clan covering the ground, a trace of compassionate sorrow flashed through the white-browed old ape's eyes.

Though the battle had been won, it felt no joy.

If possible, it would rather nothing of this sort had ever happened here.

Its elder brother would not have left, and the demon clan would not have launched an invasion.

Wouldn't it be better if everyone simply lived out their days in peace?

It sighed and then solemnly expressed its gratitude to Song Yue.

Though harboring compassion, it was not hypocritically benevolent.

Without the assistance of this young human today, its homeland would inevitably have been subjected to devastating slaughter.

The outcome would have been grim indeed.

Song Yue held a rather favorable impression of this white-browed old ape as well, smilingly indicating that it was a fair transaction and no courtesy was necessary.

The white-browed old ape then produced a sword scripture and handed it to Song Yue. "This sword scripture contains the swordsmanship I used when battling you earlier. With my natural endowment, it is difficult to cultivate it to its supreme realm, but you are a martial arts genius, so you may have a chance."

Song Yue accepted it and expressed his sincere thanks.

Looking at the white-browed old ape, he then said, "The landscape of the mortal world has changed. I feel that a demon grandmaster with your vision and breadth of mind need not hide away in a remote corner; cooperating with the human world on occasion is not necessarily a bad thing."

With a helpless expression, the white-browed old ape replied, "I am very fond of human culture and have attempted to interact with humans before. A long time ago, I even personally taught a few human disciples... but the mortal world is far too complicated."

"Those children of mine are very fond of human affairs; didn't they just beg you to take them to the mortal world to play?"

Song Yue smiled and nodded.

The white-browed old ape continued, "Yet human hearts are unpredictable. In the eyes of humans, we are ultimately exotic beings, and to them, 'those not of our race must harbor different hearts.' Therefore, it is far too difficult for us to integrate."

Song Yue remarked, "I merely feel that for a demon grandmaster of your formidable combat power and broad-mindedness, choosing to live in seclusion is far too much of a pity. If you are willing, I can actually introduce you to a wonderful place!"

"Oh?"

The white-browed old ape looked at Song Yue with mild surprise.

During their brief interaction, Song Yue could clearly sense this old ape's familiarity with and yearning for human civilization, so he had tested the waters slightly, not expecting the other party to actually be interested.

He smiled and said, "It's a martial arts academy!"

He then briefly introduced the relevant information regarding the Elite Martial Arts Academy to the white-browed old ape, and added, "Look, even those people from distant alien stars are returning to Earth to develop, and even the lofty cultivation world has intricate ties with this mortal world..."

The white-browed old ape nodded. "I understand what you are saying; remaining overly isolated will ultimately put one at a disadvantage. It's just that previously, there never arose a very good opportunity, largely because my elder brother strongly repelled such matters..."

Smiling wryly, it added, "He used to dislike seeing younger generations wear human clothing."

Such an old fossil!

Good thing he cleared out and left!

Song Yue thought to himself.

"If you are willing, I can act as an intermediary to introduce you. With someone of your stature, you could independently establish a martial arts academy, accept disciples on a broad scale, and become a true founding grandmaster!"

Seeing the white-browed old ape's eyes light up, Song Yue pressed his advantage: "At the same time, you can also maintain a sound cooperative relationship with the authorities!"

"What of the demon clan? You know about China's Special Affairs Management Bureau, which specifically handles supernatural affairs concerning demons, right? The head of the Hangzhou branch is currently an old wolf; I call him Uncle Wolf!"

A look of stirring temptation appeared on the white-browed old ape's face.

Entering the worldly sphere and maintaining good relations with the upper echelons of humanity—these were things it had once thought of, yet found difficult to realize.

Though its own blessed domain was pleasant, it was ultimately too confined!

If it could truly go to the mortal world to establish a sect and become a grandmaster of an era, receiving the reverence of countless disciples and grand-disciples for generations to come... even if it were to pass away one day, it would depart with a smile!

"Can you truly help me with such a great matter?"

The white-browed old ape was completely won over, and looked at Song Yue with a question.

"Well, this cannot really be considered a favor!"

Song Yue explained earnestly, "First of all, with a grandmaster of your caliber holding down the fort, whether human or demon, anyone wishing to stir up trouble in China will have to think twice. I consider this as recruiting a powerhouse for my own side."

The white-browed old ape nodded. This young man was frank and down-to-earth!

"Secondly, as for myself over at the Elite Martial Arts Academy... I hold some shares and am considered a minor shareholder," Song Yue laughed mischievously. "So dragging a powerhouse like you over brings immense benefits to me as well... do you understand?"

The white-browed old ape burst into hearty laughter, extended a furry, massive hand, and patted Song Yue on the shoulder. "You are a good friend!"