Xu Yi and Ji Buwang arrived at Monkey King Mountain after the great battle had concluded. The entire mountain was eerily silent.
As they cautiously ascended the mountain, they encountered numerous corpses and severely injured, unconscious demonic beasts.
Xu Yi's brow furrowed deeper.
The scene on Monkey King Mountain was beyond her expectations. It was already unusual that demonic beasts dared to invade Monkey King Mountain, where the Monkey King resided. Furthermore, the fierce battle between the demonic beasts and the ape tribe, which showed no signs of a decisive victory, suggested that the leading demonic beasts had also been locked in a prolonged stalemate.
Xu Yi mused that only if the Sky Swallowing Python, the Nine-Tailed White Fox, and the Savage Bull, the three great demons, attacked simultaneously could they barely match the Monkey King. However, if four great demons were indeed in a chaotic battle, Monkey King Mountain would have long been leveled, not appear as it did now.
Xu Yi's doubts grew, and her footsteps, though heavy, were silent.
"Xu Yi, over there."
As they walked, Ji Buwang suddenly pointed in a direction. Without a word, Xu Yi used her spiritual energy to brush away the rubble, dug several zhang down, and finally moved a demonic beast's body.
"It's Peony."
Xu Yi was surprised and suspicious to see the snow leopard here. She quickly checked on its condition. The snow leopard's external injuries were not severe; its unconsciousness was caused by a concussion.
Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Ji Buwang. "Since Peony is here, Pomegranate must also be nearby."
Ji Buwang extended his divine sense and indeed found the Four-Winged Blood Horse pinned under several corpses not far away. Xu Yi's eyelids twitched when Ji Buwang unearthed the Four-Winged Blood Horse from the pile of bodies. A scan with her divine sense made her want to laugh and cry. The Four-Winged Blood Horse's condition was similar to the snow leopard's; its life was not in danger. The reason it was buried under the corpses was its own doing. Xu Yi had discovered bite marks on the corpses that matched the Four-Winged Blood Horse's teeth, as well as drag marks. It seemed the Four-Winged Blood Horse, to protect itself, had deliberately hidden beneath the corpses, attempting to pass unnoticed.
Knowing that both demonic beasts were safe, Xu Yi set up a simple defensive barrier around them and continued up the mountain with Ji Buwang. The closer they got to the summit, the higher the cultivation level of the demonic beasts.
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang encountered the Black-Haired Ape brothers one after another. Their condition was far more tragic than the Four-Winged Blood Horse's. They were covered in fatal wounds, their internal organs were severely damaged, and their auras were extremely faint. After a moment of hesitation, Xu Yi took out life-saving spirit pills from her storage ring and gave them to the Black-Haired Ape brothers.
"Any sign of the Monkey King?" Xu Yi asked without looking up, as she began to tend to the Black-Haired Ape brothers' injuries.
Ji Buwang pondered for a moment. "None."
Xu Yi nodded and said nothing more. The Black-Haired Ape brothers' injuries could not be rapidly healed by pills alone. Xu Yi merely used the pills to sustain their lives, planning to treat them more thoroughly when she had more time. She crouched beside the Black-Haired Ape brothers, her head tilted slightly, looking in a certain direction on the mountain peak. Since the Monkey King was not here, perhaps it was in its secluded cave.
With no other options, Xu Yi and Ji Buwang exchanged a glance and headed towards the cave they had visited before. The terrain of Monkey King Mountain had been damaged during the battle, and it took Xu Yi and Ji Buwang some time to find the entrance. Xu Yi looked at the cave entrance, buried by rocks, and felt a sense of unease. The demon race was the strong reinforcement they had been trying to secure, and the Monkey King was the most crucial link. They had finally found the Soul-Releasing Bell and Fire Slurry Fruit according to the Monkey King's request, only for the demon race to encounter unforeseen changes, and the Monkey King's fate to be unknown. Xu Yi sighed inwardly; no matter the outcome, she had to know the answer.
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang worked together, channeling their spiritual energy to clear the obstructing rocks. Apart from the sound of rolling stones, the cave was silent. The two cooperated effectively, clearing the path at a rapid pace, and soon arrived at the passage's exit.
As Ji Buwang crushed the last large stone blocking their way with his spiritual energy, a pungent, bloody scent assailed them. Xu Yi vaguely heard a mournful cry and chilling screeches. Just as Xu Yi felt an icy chill envelop her limbs, a warmth transmitted through her arm, dispelling the gloom in her heart. Xu Yi subconsciously looked to her side and saw Ji Buwang looking at her with concern. Xu Yi smiled slightly at Ji Buwang, signaling she was fine, and then focused her gaze ahead, her face contorting in horror.
The Monkey King sat cross-legged, like an ancient god of war. Beneath it, besides piles of white bones, lay a monstrous, terrifying serpent corpse that nearly filled half the cave.
"Sky Swallowing Python?" Xu Yi's pupils contracted as she recognized the serpent corpse. They had faced it not long ago and remembered it vividly. As a Great Ascension stage demon, even Xu Yi and Ji Buwang working together could not withstand a single move from the Sky Swallowing Python, forcing them to tear through space to escape. The once majestic Sky Swallowing Python appearing before Xu Yi and Ji Buwang in such a state moved them deeply.
Xu Yi, thinking of something, boldly directed her divine sense towards the Monkey King. The Monkey King remained motionless, its eyes closed in meditation, seemingly unaware of Xu Yi's intrusion. A bad premonition immediately arose in Xu Yi's heart.
"Monkey King?"
"Lord Monkey King?" Xu Yi's voice was not loud, but in the silent cave, it was remarkably clear and impossible to ignore. Xu Yi's calls received no response, confirming her premonition. Although the Monkey King had killed the Sky Swallowing Python, it itself…
Xu Yi lowered her head, a tumultuous wave of unspeakable emotions surging within her. The Monkey King's death was not good news for them; they needed to communicate with the Demon King through the Monkey King. With the Monkey King dead and the Demon King's whereabouts unknown, the Divine Continent would fall under the control of the Nine-Tailed White Fox and the Savage Bull. Both harbored ill will towards humans, and if they allied with the demon race, Xu Yi could not imagine what the Kyushu Continent would become.
While Xu Yi was worrying about the future of the Divine Continent, Ji Buwang had already leaped onto the Monkey King's shoulder. He infused his divine sense into the Monkey King's body and continuously channeled his spiritual energy into its form.
"Ji Buwang, you…" Xu Yi's expression froze. Ji Buwang's actions suggested he believed the Monkey King was not dead and was attempting to awaken the slumbering Monkey King in this manner. Although Xu Yi didn't know why Ji Buwang harbored such thoughts, she gritted her teeth and leaped up as well. She positioned herself higher than Ji Buwang, directly facing the Monkey King's lips.
"Forgive me," Xu Yi said quickly, looking down, then took out a dark red stone box from her storage ring. The box contained the Fire Slurry Fruit obtained from Fire Burning Mountain. The Monkey King had mentioned that the Fire Slurry Fruit could alleviate its internal injuries. Whether it was effective, they would soon find out.