Chapter 123: Opportunity, the Old Ape's Transformation

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

"Squeak squeak!"

Two little white monkeys came up to Fang Xu, excitedly scrambling onto his shoulder and making a flurry of random gestures.

Fang Xu watched and roughly understood that these two little fellows were asking him to perform magic tricks for them.

But he had no mood to do magic tricks for them now; he had to figure out how to escape!

Judging by the current situation, staying in the Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe's settlement seemed like a decent option.

At least safety-wise, he didn't need to worry too much.

But the problem is that while the Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe is strong compared to the Lu family, compared to the whole Great Yu it's obviously insufficient.

The old ape that had appeared earlier could speak human language, but was obviously aged, with declining qi and blood; Fang Xu could sense that the old ape's aura was clearly inferior to the bitter wheel, and at best only slightly stronger than kill heaven auspicious.

After the four members of the Lu family fled back, they would likely try to come rescue the three Lu brothers left behind, while also confirming whether he was truly dead.

In fact, Fang Xu had overlooked one point: Lu Jingren, whom he had crossed hands with, had already guessed that he possessed a legendary cosmos bag.

Even if they guessed he might have been killed by the Earth Fiend Demon Ape, for the sake of the cosmos bag, the Lu family would certainly try to find help to exterminate the Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe and bring the cosmos bag back.

The Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe possesses over thirty adult Earth Fiend Demon Ape, each having strength comparable to a human Martial Venerable, but at most they are roughly equivalent to the Lu family's six brothers at the third or fourth stage of Martial Venerable; once they face a human expert above the fifth stage of Martial Venerable, they cannot withstand them.

In short, the Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe is not safe; he still needs to hurry to Central State to participate in the entrance examination of the Ascension Immortal Association.

After thinking it over repeatedly, Fang Xu picked up the two little white monkeys from his shoulder and said, "Do you two know how to leave this place?"

The two little white monkeys were obviously naive; Fang Xu wanted to see if he could find a way to escape from their mouths.

The little white monkey heard his words, tilted its head and thought for a moment, then suddenly broke free of his palm and darted quickly toward the cave.

Fang Xu looked bewildered, not knowing what this little fellow intended to do.

Only a moment later, seeing the old ape walk out of the cave again, Fang Xu's expression changed instantly.

Seeing the little white monkey on the old ape's shoulder squeaking and its furry fingers occasionally pointing at him, Fang Xu wished he could give it a slap.

This little brat must have gone to tattle!

The old ape listened to the little white monkey's series of squeaks, smirked, and looked at Fang Xu, saying, "Human, do you want to escape?"

By now, Fang Xu could only steel himself and cup his hands, saying, "Ape senior, to be frank, if I stay here I will only bring disaster to the Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe; please let me go."

Hearing this, the old ape gave him a thoughtful glance and said, "Go on."

Fang Xu hesitated and said, "Senior, since you know about human affairs, you should understand what a first-rank martial technique means for a human martial artist."

Demonic beasts mostly have their own cultivation methods; martial techniques are something human martial artists create based on themselves, which demonic beasts cannot practice, so Fang Xu dared to speak about the first-rank martial technique.

"In that case, are those few people chasing you because of the first-rank martial technique on your body?" the old ape said.

Fang Xu nodded: "This time they failed to capture me and lost three Martial Venerables; after fleeing back, they will surely make a comeback."

"Without hiding it from you, senior, the entire Yu State is now searching for me; do you think the Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe can stand against the whole Yu State?"

Using the tribe's safety as a persuasion was also the best idea Fang Xu could think of.

The old ape heard his words and indeed fell into deep thought.

Tilan Mountain lies within the Yu State, and the old ape also knows quite a bit about the Yu State.

The Yu State is very strong; if I were at my peak, I wouldn't be too afraid of its few experts, but now I am nearing the end of my life, with severe depletion of qi and blood.

If those few experts of the Yu State really came to kill me, even if I managed to block them, I would exhaust my qi and blood; afterward, even if the Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe were not slaughtered by human Martial Venerables, it would still be annexed by other demonic beast forces in the surrounding areas.

"Little fellow, I didn't expect you to still be a trouble magnet," the old ape said expressionlessly.

Fang Xu also didn't know the old ape's true thoughts at this moment, so he could only speak again: "Senior, if you would lend a helping hand this time, I will surely repay the Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe in the future."

The old ape fell into silence, seeming not to have heard Fang Xu's latter words.

After a long while——

"Since you say everyone in the Great Yu is hunting you, where do you plan to go?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, Fang Xu immediately saw hope of leaving and cupped his hands, saying, "Senior, I plan to head west from here, cross Tilan Mountain, and go to the western grasslands."

"By detouring via the grasslands to Central State to participate in the Ascension Immortal Association's entrance examination, as long as I can join the Ascension Immortal Association, these forces of the Yu State will not dare act rashly."

"The Ascension Immortal Association?" the old ape's expression startled, then he said with a somewhat complex look, "The Ascension Immortal Association can indeed protect you."

"Little fellow, I can let you go, but you must agree to one condition of mine."

The old ape pondered for a moment and finally spoke.

"Please speak, senior!" Fang Xu exclaimed happily and quickly cupped his hands.

"Don't rush to agree; what I ask you to promise is not easy for you, and even before you become a human Martial Venerable, you are not qualified to know it."

Hearing this, Fang Xu was stunned.

Not even having the qualification to know before becoming a Martial Venerable—looks like the old ape's condition is no simple matter.

But for now, as long as I can first leave this place, we can talk about later matters later.

"I agree!"

Fang Xu said solemnly.

Seeing his decisiveness, the old ape smiled faintly, slowly raised the bone staff in his hand, and said, "Humans are cunning; I do not trust you, but since you have agreed, let us establish a contract."

A contract?

Fang Xu furrowed his brows slightly,

"Rest assured, this contract merely makes you remember the agreement with me and the Earth Fiend Demon Ape tribe; it will have no other effect on you."

Seeing Fang Xu's hesitation, the old ape said lightly.

Fang Xu hesitated a moment, nodded slightly, and said, "How should we do it?"

The old ape slowly raised the bone staff, plucked a sharp beast tooth from it, then took Fang Xu's hand and made a cut on it.

"Hold it."

Fang Xu complied, gripping the beast tooth lightly in his hand.

Follow my words exactly; not a single character may be missed.

Fang Xu nodded.

I have today made a pact with the Earth Fiend Demon Ape Clan; when I gain strength, I will devote myself to helping them retake their homeland.

Fang Xu listened to the old ape's low voice and repeated the words.

Alright.

Having said that, the old ape turned his gaze to Fang Xu.

Alright?

Fang Xu was puzzled; according to normal procedure, the contract should still have a penalty clause like 'If I break this oath, I am willing to bear…' at the end, shouldn't it?

How did it end so simply?

Seeing his doubtful expression, the old ape smiled faintly and said, 'This contract is simply an ordinary agreement, kid. I just want you to remember that my Earth Fiend Demon Ape Clan is sparing your life today; if you ever gain strength and still remember our clan, feel free to lend us a hand.'

This fang belonged to our clan's former high priest; keep it as a keepsake.

Fang Xu opened his palm, gazed at the blood‑stained fang in his hand, touched it again, and clenched his grip.

Senior, rest assured; if I ever gain strength, I will definitely return here to help the Earth Fiend Demon Ape Clan retake their homeland.

Although the contract carries no penalty, Fang Xu has no intention of breaking it outright.

Later, if I gain strength, lending the Earth Fiend Demon Ape Clan a hand won't be much trouble.

Of course, if this cannot be done, he would naturally not risk his life for it.

When do we depart?

After the contract was settled, the old ape's attitude eased considerably.

"Time is pressing; if possible, I want to leave tomorrow." He glanced at the darkened sky, felt his own depleted Blood Qi, and spoke.

"Thus, tomorrow I will personally see you off."

"Heading to the grasslands, we will need to pass through the territories of some tribes; I still hold some prestige among the surrounding tribes."

"Tonight, just make do in this cave."

Having said that, the old ape turned to head back to the cave, but suddenly stopped, lifted the little white ape from his shoulder, handed it to Fang Xu, and asked, "Do you know what this little fellow just said to me?"

Seeing the little white ape in the old ape's hand constantly grinning foolishly at him, Fang Xu shook his head.

"It went to ask me how to leave this place."

"These two little ones like you; before you leave, keep them company."

Putting the little white ape on the ground, the old ape slowly walked into the cave.

"Squeak!"

After the little white ape was set down by the old ape, it squeaked, ran to Fang Xu's side, tugged at his collar and cried out excitedly, as if saying, "Watch how clever I am!"

Fang Xu grabbed it, lightly flicked its forehead, and said helplessly, "Really an idiot."

Bringing the two little white apes to the nearby waterfall, he took from his Cosmos Sack a bottle of Blood Qi Pill snatched from some unknown martial artist, and swallowed a few.

The two little white apes, seeing this, also curiously came over.

"Do you want some?"

Seeing them drooling with desire, Fang Xu took a few first‑grade Blood Qi Pills from his storage bag and gave them to the two little ones, treating them like candy.

The two little ones got the Blood Qi Pills, stopped bothering him, and happily ate them nearby.

After swallowing the Blood Qi Pill, after a simple refinement, the Blood Qi Power within him that was about to run dry was quickly replenished.

Then Fang Xu was not satisfied; he swallowed more than ten fourth‑grade Blood Qi Pills at once, and immediately used his will to mobilize the Divine Attendants within his body to store this portion of Blood Qi Power.

Relying on his own Blood Qi Power to perform the Demon Ape Three Transformations, he could only last one minute; but counting the Blood Qi Power stored by the Divine Attendants, Fang Xu feels he could manage ninety seconds without issue.

In a blink, the sky quickly turned completely dark.

In the tranquil valley, the night sky was like a black curtain, and the countless stars were like pearls hung upon it.

Fang Xu sat before the cave, quietly roasting an unknown bird.

Smelling the rich aroma, the two little white apes anxiously hopped up and down nearby.

Not only them, the other Earth Fiend Demon Apes in the valley were also drawn by this rich aroma, gathering around Fang Xu, staring at the meat on the bonfire, with occasional crystal‑clear droplets trickling from the corners of their mouths.

Seeing this, Fang Xu couldn't help but shake his head, tore off the bird's two plump legs and threw them to the two little white apes, then tore off a chunk of chest meat weighing several jin for himself.

He tossed the remaining bird to an adult Earth Fiend Demon Ape before him: "You lot divide it."

That Earth Fiend Demon Ape hastily caught the fragrant roasted meat, didn't bother to avoid the heat, tore off a large chunk and shoved it into its mouth; by the time it wanted to tear another piece, the meat in its hand had already been snatched by other clansmen.

That bird originally weighed less than a hundred jin; after removing the two legs and Fang Xu's chunk, then the bones, there simply wasn't enough to go around.

"Roar..."

Having tasted the marrow, the Earth Fiend Demon Ape that felt it wasn't enough shyly approached Fang Xu, pointing at the bottles holding salt and various seasonings, then pointing at itself.

"Do you want this?"

"Take it."

Having given all these little trinkets to the Earth Fiend Demon Ape, Fang Xu walked slowly into the cave, with the two little white apes closely following.

"Senior."

The cave isn't too large; the old ape is presently sitting cross‑legged before a stone slab etched with complex patterns, painstakingly contemplating it.

Seeing Fang Xu enter, it had no hesitation and called out, "Kid, come take a look."

Fang Xu walked over slowly, looked at the ancient stone slab before the old ape, slightly furrowed his brows, and asked, "Senior, what is this?"

The old ape let out a slow sigh and said: "This is our clan's ancestral artifact; our forefather relied on this stone slab to evolve from a muddled wild beast into a demon with spiritual intelligence."

But after the forefather gained intelligence, word of the stone slab leaked to other forces; the Earth Fiend Demon Ape Clan suffered a joint attack by other powers, and the elders sacrificed themselves to send us and the stone slab away.

These years, I have continually meditated on the secrets of this stone slab, but ultimately failed to reach the forefather's level.

Now, my Blood Qi is gradually depleting; I likely have little time left, so I wish to use this period to comprehend as much as possible and leave it for them.

Hearing this, Fang Xu felt somewhat uneasy.

Not long ago, perhaps humans themselves were like that, able to make selfless sacrifices for their kind.

But now…

"Human wisdom is innately superior to that of us beastfolk, kid—come and have a look." The old ape said.

Fang Xu nodded upon hearing that, and immediately sat cross-legged before the stone slab.

After absorbing Mu Xuan and Tao Ziheng's spiritual attributes, his comprehension now far surpassed before; sitting cross-legged before the stone slab like that, he quickly fell into a wondrous state.

Seeing his appearance, the old ape's face showed a hint of astonishment, and he hurriedly said softly: 'I have once discussed cultivation with several human Martial Venerables.'

"From them I learned that human martial artists cultivate to open acupoints, arousing the body's hidden stores—this is the way of the Martial Apprentice."

"Advancing from Martial Apprentice to Martial Master is a transformation from points to lines, constructing a divine bridge between two acupoints to communicate their power."

"From this it can be deduced that when a Martial Master advances to Martial Venerable, lines become surfaces, which humans call a star chart."

"Taking the body's acupoints as stars, and connecting them in a certain fixed way to form a star chart—this is the Martial Venerable…"

Fang Xu, immersed in that wondrous state, listening to the old ape's explanation nearby, saw the intricate patterns on the stone slab deep in his sea of consciousness suddenly become orderly.

Fang Xu could clearly feel that the places where these strange lines intersected corresponded exactly to the acupoints within the human body.

Connecting these acupoints according to those lines would form strange patterns.

But with his current cultivation level, he could hardly achieve this, let alone experience what effects would arise from linking the acupoints in this manner.

As his consciousness expanded, the strange patterns before him rapidly shrank, and Fang Xu felt as if he stood before a sand table as a creator, able to clearly oversee everything.

The patterns before him shifted again, and the outline of a colossal divine ape gradually appeared before Fang Xu's consciousness!

Filling the divine ape's outline were precisely those complex and mysterious star charts; watching the star charts shift and change, Fang Xu's consciousness gradually grew hazy, until finally he seemed to fall into a slumber.

Inside the cave, the sky had already grown bright; the old ape looked at Fang Xu, still in that strange state, hesitated repeatedly, and ultimately chose not to wake him.

As a monster who had gained wisdom, he knew well that such an epiphany state was a rare opportunity for both humans and monsters alike!

A single moment of enlightenment equals ten years of bitter cultivation.

He quietly rose, lifted the two little white apes still snoring loudly outside the cave, summoned two adult Earthfiend Demon Apes, instructed them to guard the entrance and allow no one to approach, then the old ape left the cave and headed toward the rear mountain.

Leaning on his bone staff, the old ape's stooped frame trembled slightly; after climbing a not‑too‑high peak, he was already panting.

"Howl!"

In the rear mountains, before a secluded forest path, two sturdy Earthfiend Demon Apes saw the old ape arrive and let out a couple of curious howls.

The old ape slightly eased his hurried breathing and said: 'All of you, return; from today onward, no need to guard this place.'

The two Earthfiend Demon Apes, hearing this, scratched their heads in doubt, repeatedly confirming they hadn't misheard, then headed toward the valley.

After they left, the old ape surveyed his surroundings, his expression a mix of nostalgia and melancholy, then resolutely entered the path ahead.

……

Azure Prefecture, the Lu Clan manor.

After Lu Jingren and his four brothers fled back, they now sat with heads bowed before a middle‑aged man with a square face.

"Big brother, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother and Ninth Brother must go rescue them!" After a long silence among the five, Lu Jingren could not hold back and spoke.

"Rescue? How?" The square‑faced Lu Shengren, hearing this, glared angrily at Lu Jingren and said: "You and I both know the strength of the Earthfiend Demon Ape clan—there are over thirty adult Earthfiend Demon Apes comparable to Martial Venerables, plus that old ape of unfathomable power; even mustering all the Lu Clan's might would hardly win."

"That brat and Fourth Brother fell into the Earthfiend Demon Apes' hands—nine times out of ten they're already dead."

"Second Brother is still in the Tilan Mountain Ruins, his fate unknown; our Lu Clan cannot afford another risk."

The Lu Clan of Azure Prefecture could become a major power second only to the imperial house in Great Yu thanks to this lineage of nine Martial Venerables.

Now three have been lost at once, Second Brother Lu Liren's fate is also unknown, the Lu Clan's strength has greatly diminished, and as the current clan head, Lu Shengren naturally dare not act rashly for the family's future.

"But…"

Lu Jingren, hearing that, bit his lip, stood up, and said: 'Big brother, there's something I haven't had a chance to tell you.'

Lu Shengren, hearing this, frowned slightly and asked: 'What is it?'

Lu Jingren hesitated a moment, clasped his fists, and said: 'That brat possesses the legendary Cosmic Sack!'

He had originally planned to keep the Cosmic Sack for himself, but now he could not help but reveal it.

"Cosmic Sack!?"

Hearing this, the others couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"You damned Old Seventh, you didn't say earlier—were you trying to pocket the Cosmic Sack for yourself!?"

"Old Seventh, we are blood brothers—you… you actually…"

"Enough!"

Seeing several people blaming Lu Jingren, Lu Shengren called out to stop them, then slowly rose and said: 'Old Seventh, speak up—is it true about the Cosmic Sack?'

Lu Jingren dared not raise his head, quickly saying: 'Big brother, I am ninety percent certain that brat has a Cosmic Sack!'

As he spoke, he also recounted how, when he fought Fang Xu, he had personally seen a strange staff suddenly appear in Fang Xu's hand.

"Several elder brothers, being able to conjure a weapon out of thin air—isn't that exactly like the legendary Cosmic Sack?"

The several nodded slightly.

Lu Jingren's description indeed matches the effect of the legendary Cosmic Sack.

"But how could that brat possess such a legendary treasure?"

Someone raised an objection.

"What's so hard to understand? Don't forget that brat also went to the Tilan Mountain Ruins, where a mysterious bone stele exists that can let one grasp a first‑rank martial technique—having an extra Cosmic Sack is no surprise."

Listening to his brothers' debate, Lu Shengren fell into contemplation.

After a long while——

"Do not speak of the Cosmic Sack matter to anyone!"

"Furthermore, immediately send people to deliver invitations to all major powers, saying that the Lu Clan has discovered that brat's whereabouts and is willing to share the information with all factions."

The Earth Fiend Demon Ape clan's power is strong; the Lu family surely cannot deal with them.

The plan is to use the strength of other forces to pacify the Earth Fiend Demon Ape clan; if that kid happens to survive, bringing out that first-rate martial technique for everyone to study together is no big deal.

If that kid dies, they can also obtain the legendary Cosmic Bag; no matter what, the Lu family lost three Martial Sovereigns this time and must find a way to make up for it!

Lao Qi, I won't pursue the matter of hiding the Cosmic Bag; the task of contacting the various families will be left to you to handle personally.

We must definitely get the heads of the various families to take action.

Lu Jingren heard the words, his expression tightened, and he immediately clasped his hands and said, 'Big brother, rest assured!'

Mountain valley.

At the secluded deep path behind the mountain, a figure slowly walked out.

The figure wore a loose linen robe, a somewhat broken bamboo hat on the head, and a white veil covering the face, making the facial features indistinguishable.

Only by looking at the bone staff in the figure's hand could it be seen that this figure was indeed the old ape who had previously entered the path.

The old ape no longer bore the air of decline; its stooped body stood straight, and the furry hands gripping the bone staff had actually completely transformed into human hands.

Standing at the mouth of the secluded deep path, the old ape turned its head to look at the ancient trees on both sides of the path that were slowly withering, and sighed softly, saying, 'I hope my decision today is not wrong.'

Having said that, his figure flickered and quickly vanished before the path.

At the cave entrance, when the old ape's figure reappeared, it immediately drew exclamations from the many Earth Fiend Demon Apes nearby.

The Earth Fiend Demon Apes gathered around him, making anxious gestures, not knowing what they were saying.

The old ape chuckled and said, 'It's fine; as long as we don't engage in combat, we still have a year.'

'Has that kid woken up?' he said to the two Earth Fiend Demon Apes guarding the cave entrance.

The two Earth Fiend Demon Apes looked at the cave behind them and slightly shook their heads.

The old ape waved his hand and said, 'You all go down, tidy up your things, and then leave this place.'

As his words fell, a strange disturbance suddenly came from within the cave before him, followed by a surge of Qi that burst out from the cave, accompanied by the figure of Fang Xu.

(End of chapter)