A Blessing in Disguise Gains Spirituality? Dispute Erupts in the Three Purities Hall!

"Roar..."

Suddenly, the Long-Arm Ape let out a howl, his form shuddering violently as his massive body began to shrink rapidly.

Soon, he had returned to his original size.

Yet his shape did not change—clearly, he had failed the tribulation.

His eyes snapped open at that moment, releasing a startling aura of slaughter.

Gradually, that killing intent seeped back into his body, causing the Long-Arm Ape's presence to shift dramatically.

A full ten breaths later, the Long-Arm Ape finally restrained his aura, jerking his head up to stare at the swiftly dissipating Tribulation Clouds above.

"Hmph!"

"The Heavenly Dao is unjust. If this is the Transformation Thunder Tribulation, I'll have none of it!"

With a low growl, the Long-Arm Ape moved abruptly, heading toward his Cave Dwelling.

As for the demons lingering outside his dwelling, most had already scattered.

The Long-Arm Ape had no mind to bother with the few who remained; he intended to return to his cave and go into seclusion to recover properly.

"How interesting!"

"He's actually turned misfortune into fortune, fully awakening the Chaos Demon Ape's spirit!"

"But he's far too ungrateful!"

"Tch, a complete ingrate!"

"You don't want to undergo the tribulation? I didn't want to send it down either!"

Mo Wen sensed the Long-Arm Ape's roar from the walls of the Tribulation Thunder God Palace, a hint of displeasure crossing his face.

It seemed he had completely miscalculated this time.

Not only had the tribulation failed, but it hadn't even struck the Long-Arm Ape dead.

Now, on top of everything, he had earned the resentment of a being who had awakened the Chaos Demon Ape's spirit—trouble was sure to follow.

And at that moment, Mo Wen wasn't the only one surprised. The many Great Powers who had been probing the Tribulation Clouds' interior also showed flickers of astonishment.

Within the Demon Emperor Palace!

Di Jun's eyes gleamed, as if he too had sensed the anomaly inside the Long-Arm Ape.

"It seems the Heavenly Dao shows favor to our Demon Race's children after all!"

"Ji Meng!"

He called out beyond the palace, summoning the Demon God Ji Meng into the hall.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, Eastern Emperor."

Soon, a figure with a dragon's head and a human body, radiating a startling aura, arrived swiftly and bowed to Di Jun and Taiyi in turn.

"Though that Long-Arm Ape failed his tribulation this time, he has awakened his inner spirit. We can recruit him to the heavens!"

"Let him train by your side slowly. In time, he may yet face the tribulation again!"

"Once this Little Fellow successfully transforms, he could become a formidable general for our Demon Race!"

Di Jun spoke calmly, showing no intention of meeting the Long-Arm Ape in person.

Given the current situation, they had no way of knowing whether the Long-Arm Ape's Transformation Thunder Tribulation would descend again.

They could only cast a wide net, nurture him first, and see.

If, by chance, the Long-Arm Ape could one day face the Transformation Thunder Tribulation again, the Demon Race would gain another battle commander.

"As Your Majesty commands!"

Ji Meng naturally knew which Demon Monkey Di Jun referred to. He quickly accepted the order and withdrew from the Demon Emperor Palace.

On Mount Sumeru in the Primordial West!

Zhunti turned his head to look at Jieyin.

"Elder Brother, that Demon Monkey has obtained the Chaos Demon Ape's spirit. His connection to our Western Teachings doesn't seem entirely severed!"

"Should your junior brother pay a visit?"

If the Long-Arm Ape's spirit had not been awakened, Zhunti likely wouldn't have spared him a second thought.

But the current situation was somewhat special.

Though the Western Teachings had recruited many disciples, to bring about their great rise, they needed more disciples bearing the Primordial's Fortune.

This Long-Arm Ape, with his awakened Chaos Demon Ape spirit, was one such candidate.

"Enough!"

"Since you, junior brother, have spoken, go ahead and make the trip!"

"As Saints of the Heavenly Dao, we must act on its behalf. Bring that Demon Monkey back and seal him within Mount Sumeru—consider it punishment for tearing apart the Tribulation Clouds!"

Jieyin replied, as if the earlier words about "no connection to the Western Teachings" had never left his lips.

Kunlun Mountain, Three Purities Hall!

Tongtian had also returned, stepping into the great hall in a single stride.

At this moment, Taiqing and Yuanshi had their brows tightly furrowed, as if their recent investigation had not yielded the results they had hoped for.

"Third Brother personally went this time—did you detect anything unusual within the Tribulation Clouds?"

Yuanshi raised his head, glanced at Tongtian, and asked in a flat tone.

"If Second Brother and Eldest Brother found nothing, how could this Little Brother possibly detect an anomaly?"

"However, that last Thunder Dragon was somewhat off."

"It seemed less like punishment and more like it was deliberately awakening the demon ape's spiritual nature within that Long-Arm Ape."

"If it were the Heavenly Dao's punishment, there would likely be more than just one Thunder Dragon."

"..."

Tongtian muttered to himself, as if responding to Yuanshi, or perhaps answering his own questions.

"It is indeed suspicious, but we cannot determine the reason for it."

Yuanshi let out a sigh as well.

He had originally planned to give Tongtian a good scolding once he brought the Long-Arm Ape back.

Now that Tongtian had returned alone, it would be somewhat inappropriate for him, as the elder brother, to speak harshly.

"Second Brother, Third Brother."

"This investigation is not something that can be resolved overnight."

"But among the disciples under your command, many are already ready to face the Transformation Thunder Tribulation."

"Why don't we brothers appeal to the Heavenly Dao and see how it responds before investigating further?"

Taiqing seemed to have an idea in mind. He spoke directly to Yuanshi and Tongtian, as if intending to use the disciples of the Chan Sect and Jie Sect as bait to uncover the secrets hidden within the Transformation Thunder Tribulation.

Hearing this, Tongtian's brow furrowed.

"Eldest Brother, wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"This Transformation Thunder Tribulation fluctuates unpredictably—there must be something wrong. Why not wait a while?"

Tongtian did not want his own disciples to become sacrifices.

Thus, he did not agree with Taiqing's scheme.

"Hmph!"

"Third Brother, most of your disciples are furred and horned, wet-born and shelled creatures—they already bear karmic tribulations. This is the perfect time for them to undergo the tribulation."

"Or do you intend to let your elder brother's disciples go first?"

Yuanshi shot a glance at Tongtian, his voice carrying a hint of displeasure.

This third brother of his had always dissatisfied him greatly in the matter of accepting disciples.

Tongtian's practice of taking in all disciples indiscriminately, teaching without distinction, did not sit well with him either.

Especially since most of his disciples were mountain spirits and wild beasts, furred and horned, wet-born and egg-laid creatures, acting ruthlessly without any regard for rules. If this continued, would it not tarnish the dignity of the Xuan Sect?

"Second Brother, isn't that going too far?"

"Are your disciples any different?"

"Or is it that the flourishing Fortune of my Jie Sect has displeased you, Second Brother?"

Tongtian had always been hot-tempered. Being spoken to like this by Yuanshi made him lose face, and he shot back directly.

"Third Brother, how can you speak to your Second Brother like that?"

"What I said earlier was merely a discussion among brothers—why must it turn so hostile?"

"If my Ren Sect had more than one disciple, why would I need the disciples of the Chan and Jie Sects to face the Transformation Thunder Tribulation?"

"..."

At this point, Taiqing slowly rose and scolded Tongtian.

But before he spoke, Tongtian had only felt a slight irritation.

The moment he opened his mouth, a wave of stifled grievance surged in Tongtian's heart.

It was clearly Yuanshi who had mocked him first, yet in the end, it became his fault—was this not favoritism?

PS: Regarding updates, this humble one will explain here.

Updates will be slightly slower for the next few days, but will return to normal starting next week.

All esteemed readers can rest assured and enjoy the story—no need to worry!