451: Chapter 346 451: Chapter 346 “Young man, don’t be so lacking in confidence.
Although I have become anew, after all, I am a soul now, and having been suppressed for ten million years, my spells are few and far between.”
“But all said and done, there’s no benefit for me in releasing your seal, and there might even be harm.
Why should I kindly do that?”
“Young man, don’t people in the Mortal Realm say, ‘Saving someone from water and fire’?
We had no past grievances, how would I kill you?”
“But we humans have another saying: ‘A person’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets,’ and besides, you’re not human.”
“Young man, didn’t you just mention that another place is related to me?
Could it be that you’re eyeing the spot where the wind suppressed my physical body?”
“It could be so!”
Jiang Tang’s words plunged the monkey into deep thought.
I am tired, but by liberating its soul and then releasing its body, I would certainly be doing it a favor.
The monkey wasn’t all that bad, really.
It’s just that it got a little arrogant after learning spellcraft and felt its magic was stronger than that of other demonic beasts who also became Immortal, so it playfully went to battle and seized others’ resources.
The killing of other Demon Beast Immortals was nothing more than an accident.
How could it know that other Demon Beast Immortals were so fragile and could die so easily?
The monkey, being naughty, inadvertently caused its master to be besieged and injured.
Its body and soul were separated and sealed away, which was, in reality, an even greater injury for the master.
However, when it wanted to repent and apologize later, it couldn’t.
Human Immortals, demonic beasts, and demons, in their struggle for territory, initiated a battle, and the outcome was exceedingly tragic.
The monkey didn’t witness the battlefield, only knew of the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting, and with the seal still on, its soul and body fell into the Mortal Realm.
For these ten thousand some years, it was initially unyielding, but to whom could its discontent be voiced?
Eventually, it ground down its disposition and felt restless in this lack of freedom, unabashedly threatening mortals.
When others feared it, it lightened its heart’s oppression and felt somewhat exhilarated.
Actually, it was hoping to attract a true Capable Being who might have the chance to release its seal.
Perhaps this was a form of wishful dreaming.
Such a fated person, capable of release, made it wait and wait for over ten thousand years.
Today it finally got the chance; how could it let it slip by?
The opportunity might only come once, and missing this chance, it didn’t know how much longer it would have to endure this lack of freedom.
It felt it would rather die than continue living such an unfree existence.
From the implications in the speech of this human before it, all that was being sought was its promise not to harm others, not to kill, and to yield this place to the human.
The monkey felt that although it had resided in this place for ten million years, if there were a better choice available, it would prefer to ascend to the heavens one day and apologize to its master.
“Young man, I swear by the heavens, I agree to your conditions.
I will not kill you, nor will I do anything that goes against the heavens and reason.
I will leave this place to you.”
Jiang Tang still shook his head and said:
“Some people treat promises as lightly as eating lettuce; empty vows that can be met with a thunderstrike mean nothing to me.
How can such a flippant promise convince me to take the risk of releasing your seal?”
“Young man, you don’t believe my words, and I have nothing on me that could benefit you.
What do you want me to say?”
The monkey found itself in a difficult position; it wasn’t really to blame, as it was when it was caught and sealed.
Its Magic Artifacts had already been taken away by an Immortal, obviously so that it wouldn’t use them to escape.
Its body was also sealed.
During those ten million years in the Mortal World, although sealed, it didn’t give up cultivating.
In fact, even without its soul, its body could have become a Ghost Immortal like a Ghost Cultivator.
The monkey could already sense that, after these ten thousand years, its body had spawned a new soul.
Even if it were to regain its body and the seal were removed, it wouldn’t necessarily be able to control it.
But as its body was still sealed, it felt hopeful that the release of the seal would allow its soul to cultivate more freely.
The monkey, within the seal of countless years, had refined its soul into a Soul Refinement, and this was because it had been sealed.
Had the seal been released, its soul would have returned to its Immortal Soul.
If it weren’t for the world-shattering catastrophe, it could ascend to the heavens immediately.
If it could not ascend, it would still harbor its previous schemes!
Jiang Tang pondered and decided that he couldn’t let such a treacherous monkey roam the Mortal Realm; hence, he had to confine it within an Immortal Artifact.
Of course, he didn’t want to put the monkey into his Primordial Treasure Lingtian Space.
So, it had to be that formidable Hell Palace; after all, within the Hell Palace were its own kind.
The monkey might be a bit more well-behaved once inside.
Jiang Tang believed that once the monkey entered the Hell Palace, it would become more orderly.
If the monkey were to enter the Hell Palace, and then become the king there, the Artifact Spirit of Hell Palace wouldn’t be able to control it.
Would the monkey behave?
Would it not bully the creatures inside?
After much thought, Jiang Tang felt this was the only solution.
He had already taken that gold-shining box from Eryao, and his pet had translated the text within that book for him.
According to the translated text, there were methods to lift the monkey’s seal noted inside, including how to confine a rowdy monkey to a certain place so that it couldn’t come and go freely – except at the master’s call.
Jiang Tang memorized the contents of the book, storing both the golden box and the book in his space.
Bowing his head to look at the monkey awaiting rescue, he said,
“I don’t fully trust you, but if you promise me that after I lift the seal, you’ll enter one of my Magic Artifacts and cultivate obediently within.
Maybe when I ascend one day, I might take you with me.”
The monkey’s mouth twitched; it really wanted to say that by the time this human had cultivated enough for ascension, it would have been waiting until its beard turned white.
A glint flashed in the monkey’s eyes, thinking that no Magic Artifact of this human could possibly keep it trapped.
Once the human released the seal, it would be able to come and go as it pleased – what could this human possibly do to it?
Thinking of this, the monkey couldn’t help feeling smug internally as a hint of a smile began to appear on its face.
If it had an idea to no longer be a monkey, to seize this human’s body, hehehe, wouldn’t that mean the young man’s female companions would all belong to it?
At that thought, the monkey suddenly realized: it had no monkey children, no monkey grandchildren.
If it had a human body, could it then sire a smart child with a human?
“Young man, I promise you, as long as you release my seal, I will enter whatever Magical Treasure you ask,” it said.
Jiang Tang nodded, a slight smile on his face as he faced the monkey, thinking this monkey wasn’t too bad after all.
If only he had the power of the Mind Reading Technique.
If he knew that the monkey wanted to possess him, wanted his female companions, wanted to eliminate him, would his face still bear a smile?
Would he not give the monkey a beating?
Would he still willingly lift the monkey’s seal?
Although Jiang Tang didn’t have the Mind Reading Technique, he still anticipated the monkey’s potential deceit and that controlling it might not be possible.
At that moment, the people and pets who had been cultivating around him stopped and looked at Jiang Tang, curious to see how he would unseal a monkey.
The method of Immortal sealing practiced by the monkey was a spectacle not just for humans but for Demonic Beasts as well, an opportunity not easily encountered.
This way, what they witnessed could be recorded and later shown to their families.
Jiang Tang waved his hands; he had already absorbed the Golden Light from the box and the book.
His hands cast forth a golden Buddha Light, which he sent towards the monkey in the cave.
The monkey felt immense pressure gradually lifting, the heavy force restraining it slowly released, prompting an involuntary twitch of its body.
Sounds of meridians loosening came from its soul and body; the monkey felt a soothing sensation throughout, joyously hopping about.
Then, from the floor of the cave, it leapt onto a rock at the mountain’s peak, from there jumping high into the sky, utterly ecstatic.