"Such potent killing intent."
As Xu Yi and Ji Bu Wang stepped into the Divine Continent, they sensed a faint, oppressive aura of slaughter permeating the air.
Their hearts immediately tensed, their faces growing grave.
After leaving Fire Burning Mountain, they first escorted Long Hao Tian and the other two back to the Profound Clarity Sect.
When they departed, Long Hao Tian and the two others had still not regained consciousness.
However, there was good news: they saw Jin Biao, whose physical body had been reshaped.
Jin Biao's body had initially been occupied by the soul of the Soul-Releasing Bell, and then it was pulverized into dust by Long Hao Tian's ultimate artifact, rendering it beyond repair.
Fortunately, the Profound Clarity Sect was one of the five major sects on the Nine Provinces Continent and possessed many rare and precious treasures.
Jin Biao's master, Elder Drunken Moon, used his years of accumulated merit to exchange for an eighth-grade elixir that could help him reshape his physical body.
Because the body was molded according to Jin Biao's wishes, it was highly compatible with his soul. However, his cultivation had been completely depleted, and he would have to start anew.
Jin Biao did not mind. Regaining his life was already the best outcome for him. Moreover, with the assistance of his soul, his next cultivation journey would be much smoother and significantly shorter.
Jin Biao and Hong Sheng Yi expressed their gratitude to Xu Yi and Ji Bu Wang and invited them to stay as guests, but their invitation was declined.
After leaving the Profound Clarity Sect, they immediately rushed to the Divine Continent.
This time, they broke through the boundaries of the Divine Continent with ease. However, upon entering, they sensed that something was amiss.
After exchanging a look, the two decided to head to Monkey King Mountain to investigate the situation first.
Not long after they set off, they discovered that the aura they had sensed was indeed coming from the direction of Monkey King Mountain. Greatly alarmed, they increased their speed again, various speculations flooding their minds.
Monkey King Mountain was now shrouded in darkness, the visibility reduced to zero.
A dim mist enveloped Monkey King Mountain, obscuring the surroundings, and only the sound of dull thuds, growing louder and louder, could be heard.
Most of the demonic beasts on Monkey King Mountain had fallen into a comatose state, with only a few powerful demonic beasts struggling to stay conscious.
The Black Fur Ape Leader was among them.
It was the demonic entity most aware of the Monkey King's condition, and thus, it was exceptionally anxious.
The Monkey King was indeed injured, and gravely so, making it difficult for him to move. This was why he had not appeared for several hundred years.
To prevent the news from spreading, the Black Fur Ape Leader had not revealed the situation to any of the demonic beasts, including his own brother, Black Fur Ape King Kong.
It did not know how demonic entities like the Devouring Sky Python had learned of the news, but it speculated that the Monkey King's injury might be related to them.
The Black Fur Ape Leader's gaze shifted constantly, filled with killing intent one moment and veiled worry the next.
It was uncertain if the Monkey King could repel the Devouring Sky Python in his severely weakened state.
If the situation did not improve, then today would be a great calamity for their ape demon clan.
The Black Fur Ape King Kong was not as far-sighted as his leader. His entire attention was focused on listening to the sounds of the fight between the Monkey King and the Devouring Sky Python. He imagined the scene of the two demonic entities clashing in his mind, regretting that his low cultivation prevented him from witnessing it firsthand.
In a place they could not see, the Monkey King repelled the serpent's tail with a single blow, gazing coldly at the Devouring Sky Python, his expression neither happy nor sad.
"Monkey King, you're finished."
The Devouring Sky Python flicked its forked tongue outward, its vertical pupils flashing with a strange light.
Its coiled tail trembled beneath it.
Not from nervousness, but from excitement.
The Monkey King was old, no longer a match for it.
The towering mountain that had always loomed over it was finally about to be overthrown, so how could it not be happy, not be triumphant?
The Monkey King did not reply, nor was it provoked by the Devouring Sky Python's words.
Though it watched the Devouring Sky Python, it seemed not to regard it with any seriousness, as if it were still the invincible war god of the past, and the Devouring Sky Python's provocations were beneath its notice.
The Devouring Sky Python belatedly realized this and flew into a rage.
"Monkey King, even at this stage, you still dare to be smug. Today is the day of your demise! Hiss!"
The Devouring Sky Python knew it could not miss this perfect opportunity. It opened its mouth wide, and a dense, black mist, accompanied by a pungent, fishy stench, spewed forth.
The mist, as if imbued with sentience, morphed into the shape of the Devouring Sky Python in the air before lunging at the Monkey King.
The Monkey King calmly swung its staff.
The staff wind tore through the sky, creating countless slender spatial rifts.
An eerie wind howled from these rifts, striking the Devouring Sky Python formed by the mist.
In an instant, the Devouring Sky Python formed by the mist collapsed spectacularly.
The Devouring Sky Python did not panic, emitting a soft hum.
The mist that had dispersed throughout the air converged once more, forming a new Devouring Sky Python that approached the Monkey King with the speed of lightning.
Seeing this, the Devouring Sky Python's eyes grew colder.
How could its poisonous mist be so easily dispersed?
As long as the poisonous mist entered the Monkey King's body, even a Golden Immortal would have to shed a layer of skin.
However, the Monkey King still showed no surprise. It gripped its staff with both hands and then plunged it heavily into the ground before it.
Simultaneously, it uttered a soft exclamation: "Condense!"
As its voice fell, Monkey King Mountain began to tremble, and a vast, peculiar power surged forth from within the mountain, then gathered upon the staff.
The Monkey King tightened its grip on the staff, and the peculiar power attached to it erupted.
A tremendous force was unleashed, colliding with the Devouring Sky Python formed from poisonous mist.
This time, the Devouring Sky Python could not even last a single breath before being shattered by the immense force.
However, just as the poisonous mist was about to converge again, the colossal force, like two large hands, suddenly restrained the mist, rendering it immobile.
The Devouring Sky Python's expression finally changed as it attempted to recall its poisonous mist.
Although the connection to the poisonous mist remained, it could not act according to its will, struggling fruitlessly in place.
The Devouring Sky Python glared fiercely at the Monkey King, "You actually have such a trick up your sleeve. No wonder you appear so nonchalant."
The Devouring Sky Python had believed it could defeat the Monkey King with this attack, only to be suppressed by the latter once more. The fact that the Monkey King had not shown the slightest hint of surprise or shock made it feel immensely frustrated.
Time seemed to rewind to the last time it had fought the Monkey King; it had been caught off guard in a similar manner.
However, it quickly adjusted its mindset and regained its composure.
While the Monkey King's move was unexpected, it was within the realm of possibility. After all, the Monkey King was a renowned war god; how could it not have a trump card or two.
If it had managed to block it this time, it wouldn't be so lucky next time.
It refused to believe it couldn't defeat a weakened Monkey King.
Abandoning the poisonous mist attack, the Devouring Sky Python spat out countless scales from its mouth.
The scales were extremely thin, their edges glinting with a cold light. Under strong light, a faint, ethereal blue could be seen, indicating they had been quenched with potent poison.
These scales had all detached from the Devouring Sky Python's body and were subsequently refined by it into unique offensive artifacts. Any single scale could slice through the Monkey King's flesh.
The Devouring Sky Python thought that with so many scales, as long as one hit the Monkey King, it would have absolute certainty of killing it.
However, its hope was quickly dashed.