"Wuwuwu..."
"Wuwuwu wu..."
"Wuwuwu wuwuwuwu..."
Below Monkey King Mountain, the ground was covered in wails.
Although the monkey demons had not yet fully regained consciousness, they could sense that their comforting guardian god had departed, and they wept tears of sorrow.
The elder Black-Haired Ape was the most severely injured but also the only monkey demon stimulated enough to wake from its stupor.
However, it was too exhausted. It could only force its eyes open, lacking the strength for anything more.
It stared fixedly in the direction of Monkey King Mountain, its lips trembling, its eyes red and swollen, and it continued to cry out in grief.
"Monkey King Sir, Monkey King Sir..."
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang arrived at the foot of the mountain, only to see the Black-Haired Ape Elder, its eyes wide open, its aura wild and on the verge of going mad.
"Lao Hei!"
Xu Yi's roar forcefully interrupted the Black-Haired Ape Elder's descent into madness.
Hearing the familiar address, the Black-Haired Ape Elder paused, and the pent-up aura within it immediately crumbled like a collapsing dam.
Upon seeing Xu Yi and Ji Buwang, it closed its eyes in pain.
As the Monkey King's most trusted confidant, it had been privy to many of the Monkey King's plans.
When the Monkey King felt his time was short, he had specifically summoned it, entrusting Monkey King Mountain to its care.
But the Black-Haired Ape Elder had been unwilling to accept this duty. Now, seeing Xu Yi and Ji Buwang appear, it knew everything was set in stone.
If Xu Yi and Ji Buwang had returned sooner with the fire syrup berries for the Monkey King, then the Monkey King would not have...
"Wuwu."
Despite gritting its teeth, a whimper still escaped the Black-Haired Ape Elder's throat.
It knew it couldn't blame Xu Yi and the other for the Monkey King's death, yet it couldn't help but direct its anger towards them.
Therefore, it also did not wish to face Xu Yi and Ji Buwang at this moment.
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang exchanged a glance, unsure how to comfort it.
After a moment of silence, Xu Yi stepped forward, took something from her storage ring, and gently placed it before the Black-Haired Ape Elder. Then, she and Ji Buwang walked away, giving the Black-Haired Ape Elder space to be alone.
The Black-Haired Ape Elder listened as Xu Yi and Ji Buwang's deliberate footsteps gradually faded away before slowly lifting its eyelids.
When it saw the Ruyi Staff, within reach, placed before it, it bowed its head again and let out a mournful cry.
...
"Xu Yi, you're really not bringing me along? That's so unfair of you."
The Four-Winged Blood Horse circled Xu Yi angrily, complaining about her rude behavior.
Although the Snow Leopard did not voice its agreement, its indifferent expression betrayed its thoughts.
"Pomegranate, it's not that I don't want to bring you. You know... the Demon King's palace is too dangerous, and I don't want anything to happen to you."
Xu Yi tried to hug the Four-Winged Blood Horse and explain further.
The Four-Winged Blood Horse darted out of her grasp and mumbled something unintelligible.
The Snow Leopard, seeing the Four-Winged Blood Horse becoming more presumptuous with Xu Yi's concessions, felt a pang of yearning.
It lazily raised its head and looked at Ji Buwang, hoping for the same treatment.
However, Ji Buwang merely glanced at it indifferently, and the Snow Leopard's ambitions immediately vanished. It slumped to the ground, as if life had lost all meaning.
"Xu Yi, my boss wants to see you," the Black-Haired Ape Vajra's voice suddenly boomed, and a dark shadow descended from the sky.
It looked at Ji Buwang, "Boss also called for you."
"Vajra, you're finally free! You haven't come to play with me in ages."
The Four-Winged Blood Horse was overjoyed to see the Black-Haired Ape Vajra.
It had been nearly half a month since they had awakened, and during this time, the Black-Haired Ape Vajra, who used to visit frequently, had never shown its face.
The Four-Winged Blood Horse had considered visiting Monkey King Mountain to see it, but Xu Yi had stopped it with other excuses, preventing it from going.
The Black-Haired Ape Vajra looked at the still carefree Four-Winged Blood Horse, a flicker of envy in its eyes.
After the incident at Monkey King Mountain, all its bones had been broken, and it could no longer act as freely as before.
But it couldn't tell these things to the Four-Winged Blood Horse, so it could only scratch its head with a hint of distress, "Monkey King Mountain is being rebuilt, and I'm really too busy. I'll definitely come to find you when I have time later."
"Okay."
The Four-Winged Blood Horse happily agreed and then urged Xu Yi and Ji Buwang to hurry and leave with the Black-Haired Ape Vajra, so as not to delay important matters.
After Xu Yi and Ji Buwang left with the Black-Haired Ape Vajra, the Four-Winged Blood Horse lay on the ground as if its bones had been removed, letting out a complex sigh.
The Snow Leopard narrowed its eyes, accustomed to this behavior.
The Four-Winged Blood Horse was simple-minded but not foolish.
They had already learned about the changes at Monkey King Mountain from Xu Yi and understood the difficulties facing the Black-Haired Ape brothers, which was why they hadn't visited.
The Four-Winged Blood Horse's feigned silliness was also an attempt to lighten the Black-Haired Ape Vajra's mood, not wanting it to remain dejected.
After the Monkey King Mountain incident, both the Snow Leopard and the Four-Winged Blood Horse had gained deeper insights.
Even a powerful backer like the Monkey King could fall. They, as demon beasts with little backing, had to frantically improve their strength to preserve themselves in the coming turmoil.
The Divine Continent was about to fall into chaos.
The Black-Haired Ape Vajra remained silent the entire way, leading Xu Yi and Ji Buwang directly to the stone cave newly opened by the Black-Haired Ape Elder.
"Sit."
The Black-Haired Ape Elder commanded.
Xu Yi saw a shadow of the Monkey King in it.
With the Monkey King dead, a new king would have to emerge to lead the monkey tribe, and clearly, the Black-Haired Ape Elder was the most suitable successor.
In the span of a month, the Black-Haired Ape Elder had learned to suppress its emotions and reveal them less easily. It could now also interact with Xu Yi and Ji Buwang with a more balanced mindset.
"There have been many matters concerning the monkey tribe these past few days, and we have neglected you."
The Black-Haired Ape Elder's speaking style had even changed, which Xu Yi found slightly unaccustomed to.
As Xu Yi was considering her words, the Black-Haired Ape Elder got straight to the point of why it had summoned them.
"This contains the location of the new Demon King's sleeping quarters. You should find it useful."
It raised a hand and flicked a broad leaf, on which several curves were etched.
It was a simple map.
Xu Yi took it and glanced at it, immediately locating the Demon King's palace and thanking it with a smile.
The Black-Haired Ape Elder waved its hand dismissively, "There is another matter. During the previous great battle, many demon beasts died at Monkey King Mountain. Our tribesmen have been relocated, but there are still many demon beast corpses remaining. You may take them all."
The corpses of demon beasts could be used to refine magical treasures, a common knowledge even among demons.
More than half of the demon beasts that had attacked in force had died at Monkey King Mountain. The awakened monkey demons vented their rage on the demon beast corpses, devouring their flesh raw, leaving behind countless skins and bones.
These items were of no use to the monkey tribe, but they decided to give them all to Xu Yi and Ji Buwang to foster good relations.
Even though Xu Yi had anticipated it, her eyes involuntarily lit up.
Such a vast amount of demon beast materials was enough to supply the entire Xuanji Sect for decades.
With this unexpected windfall, Xu Yi's mood improved considerably.