Chapter Eighty-Two: The Monkey

Shen Yu paid no heed to the elder radiating murderous intent behind him and simply gazed silently at the colossal Buddha statue in the distance.

Witnessing this, Ximen Guan’s expression darkened further. Spiritual power quietly circulated within him as he ground out each word: “I am giving you one last chance to speak. Otherwise, no matter how powerful your background may be, I will still obliterate your soul here and now.”

Cautious by nature, Ximen Guan did not strike immediately. The other’s calm composure indicated he had some hidden advantage.

Shen Yu finally turned to glance at the elder.

A cultivator with one foot already in the Upper Three Realms was, in Shen Yu’s eyes at this moment, a formidable adversary—too vast a gulf between their realms, making any battle troublesome.

Yet killing this man was one of the tasks Shen Yu had promised Yun Qing, and the most compelling reason he agreed lay in a piece of news the woman had shared the day before.

“Someone asked me to kill you.”

Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, Shen Yu said calmly, “I agreed, because that person told me you are from the land of Qian Chuan. And I... utterly detest the people from that place.”

As soon as he finished, Ximen Guan’s pupils contracted, his hands clenched tightly within his sleeves.

In the next instant.

A vast, ethereal aura enveloped the surroundings, shrouding all sight.

Ximen Guan stared at Shen Yu, demanding, “Who told you these things?”

“It seems she spoke truly,” Shen Yu replied, his expression unchanged. “Now, let me ask you: Is the land of Qian Chuan known as the Four Extremes?”

Ximen Guan glanced warily around, sneering, “So what if it is? So what if it isn’t?”

Shen Yu looked at him seriously and said, “If it isn’t, perhaps your death would be easier.”

Ximen Guan seemed to hear the most absurd joke and burst into wild laughter.

That a mere cultivator of the Golden Core Realm dared threaten him in such a lofty tone—he had never encountered such insolence.

The laughter abruptly ended.

“Die!”

With a sudden shout, Ximen Guan unleashed a palm strike at Shen Yu from afar. There was no warning; the gesture was both bold and imposing.

Violent spiritual fluctuations erupted, and above, a gigantic spectral hand descended from the sky.

It turned out Ximen Guan had been building up this attack ever since arriving.

Yet Shen Yu, seeing this, remained utterly indifferent, showing no intention of dodging.

Then, something strange happened.

The giant palm, forged of spiritual power, shattered like melting spring snow as it neared Shen Yu’s head, dissipating instantly. The residual energy rippled like a gale, whipping the robes of both men.

Ximen Guan’s pupils contracted at the sight. His expression was a mix of shock and suspicion. After a moment, unwilling to concede, he transformed into a streak of rainbow light, charging straight at Shen Yu.

As if resolved to fight to the death.

However, a resounding crash echoed, and Ximen Guan’s body was flung backward, smashing hard into a distant stone wall.

A monkey appeared before Shen Yu.

It had, in fact, been standing silently behind Shen Yu the whole time, unnoticed.

Ximen Guan finally saw clearly who had intervened, his face contorted in terror and disbelief.

Why would the guardian spirit beast of the Guiyun Immortal Sect protect an outsider? Could it be because it heard mention of the land of Qian Chuan?

Ximen Guan’s heart was shaken to its core. In the next instant, he became a stream of light, fleeing into the distance.

Shen Yu said blandly, “Finish him.”

The little monkey, hearing this, casually struck out with its palm.

No strange phenomenon accompanied the blow, but Ximen Guan, far away, seemed forcibly smashed from the sky, his body plummeting and crashing into a crevice between rocks.

Moments later, a surge of spiritual energy exploded from the rubble as a figure shot skyward.

The little monkey pressed its palm again, and the mighty elder, with no resistance whatsoever, fell like a dead dog to the ground once more.

Thunderous crashes echoed repeatedly until all movement ceased in the distance.

Throughout, the little monkey did not emit the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power.

“Who are you...? Why is this happening?” Ximen Guan’s face was ashen, his expression bewildered.

That casual strike had completely destroyed his dantian.

But what baffled him most was the behavior of this spirit beast. For centuries in Guiyun Immortal Sect, no one had ever seen it act; who could have imagined its power was so terrifying, let alone that it could be commanded by another? Even the Sect Master treated it with utmost reverence, never daring to show disrespect.

Who was this man?

Shen Yu’s expression remained calm. “Now you can answer my question.”

Ximen Guan, hopeless, murmured, “If I speak, will you spare my life?”

Shen Yu shook his head. “You are not qualified to bargain with me.”

Despair flickered in Ximen Guan’s eyes. After a long moment, he quavered, “Hundreds of years ago, the land of Qian Chuan was indeed known as the Four Extremes, but for reasons unknown, the title was later abandoned.”

Receiving the answer, Shen Yu narrowed his eyes slightly and looked up at the horizon.

Three thousand years ago, there was a sect on this continent at the height of its glory called the Nether Sect, whose power rivaled even the Dao Sect of today. The sect had four halls representing the four directions, and the masters of these halls were all great cultivators who had entered the Immortal Realm.

Yet such a powerful sect vanished overnight, falling into oblivion.

No one knew who caused its disappearance, but Shen Yu did—for it was he who made the sect vanish.

He remembered saying then, so long as Shen Yu lived, no one would walk the world under the name of the Nether Sect.

That was one of the few times Shen Yu acted before transcending to another realm, so he recalled the words vividly.

“Nether Sect, land of Qian Chuan... It seems I have yet another task to fulfill,” Shen Yu thought silently, then turned to Ximen Guan and asked, “Is there anything else you wish to say?”

“No...” Ximen Guan’s eyes widened in despair, but before he could finish, the little monkey shattered his heart instantly.

The monkey released its grip, and the elder’s towering form collapsed like a heap of mud.

Shen Yu spared him no further glance and strode to the base of the giant Buddha statue. With a gentle touch, he soared upward, landing atop the Buddha’s massive head.

Clouds rolled and drifted overhead. Shen Yu sat cross-legged, gazing out to where the Guiyun Immortal Sect and the surrounding thousand miles of mountains and rivers lay spread before him.

The venerable little monkey stood beside him like a silent attendant.

If anyone else had witnessed this scene, they would have found it utterly inconceivable.

Shen Yu’s gaze wandered to the horizon.

The true purpose of his visit was the little monkey, though he realized he might still not find the answer he sought.

Suddenly, the air shimmered faintly.

The man whom Shen Yu had met briefly beside the pavilion earlier appeared at his side.

Dressed in scholar’s robes, the man smiled at the monkey and said, “My name is Jiang Zhouyao.”

Shen Yu had heard the name and knew of the man, replying calmly, “You have business?”

“This spirit beast has lived from three thousand years ago to the present and has never been commanded by anyone.”

Jiang Zhouyao spoke gently, “What happened today is truly beyond belief, so I ventured forth to ask.”

Shen Yu said nothing.

He did not know the little monkey personally, but he knew its ancestors. More importantly, Shen Yu shared countless ties with its tribe. Before Ximen Guan arrived, he had already communicated with the monkey using its clan’s unique spiritual sense.

Such matters, of course, he would not reveal to others.

Shen Yu suddenly asked, “Its vitality is unusual—unlike any creature from three thousand years ago.”

Jiang Zhouyao’s expression was calm. “There is a saying about spinning a cocoon to bind oneself. In truth, there exists a cocoon refined from the most pure primordial spiritual energy between heaven and earth. If someone arranges a special formation and an Immortal Realm expert personally seals it, the life force within the cocoon can be preserved indefinitely.”

Shen Yu nodded slightly, as if pondering.

He then frowned, for a question had occurred to him.

Jiang Zhouyao seemed to read his mind and continued, “I, too, wonder about this. Three thousand years ago, what kind of terrifying crisis could compel a peak demon cultivator to seal away the descendants of their lineage for preservation?”

What situation could force an ancestor to extend their bloodline in such a way?

Shen Yu’s brows arched as he murmured, “The end of the world?”