It didn't matter how vicious the Seven Monsters of Mount Mei were, so long as they could be put to use and help him attack Xiqi.
Besides, if Deng Jiugong hadn't encountered the Seven Monsters of Mount Mei today, they would still have gone on to block Jiang Ziya in the future, doing their part to protect Great Shang!
Deng Jiugong was more inclined to recruit them, and he'd get a greater reward for it, too.
"I choose the second option!"
Deng Jiugong thought to himself.
Buzz!
Just then, all the monsters except Wu Long, the centipede spirit Deng Jiugong had injured earlier, attacked him.
Among the Seven Monsters of Mount Mei, the second, Jin Dasheng, was a water buffalo monster with immense strength. His magic treasure was a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, though it was a grade below Yang Jian's.
The third, Dai Li, was a wild dog monster. He wielded a pair of blades and was exceptionally brave!
The fourth, Zhu Zizhen, was a wild boar monster. He carried a sword and had a taste for human flesh.
The fifth, Wu Long, was the centipede spirit Deng Jiugong had already injured.
The sixth, Yang Xian, was a mountain goat monster. He held a halberd, his attacks sharp and deadly.
Apart from Wu Long, the other monsters swung their magic treasures and slashed viciously at Deng Jiugong.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deng Jiugong raised one hand, gathered a terrifying force into his fist, and threw punch after punch.
Pfft!
He struck five times in succession, sending all five monsters flying. They each spat out a mouthful of blood, their faces filled with shock.
Each of the Seven Monsters of Mount Mei had their own supernatural abilities, yet they hadn't even had a chance to use them or revert to their original forms before they were injured.
That was because, aside from Yuan Hong, the others had varying levels of strength. Some were at the Mystic Immortal Realm, others at the Golden Immortal Realm. Against Deng Jiugong, they were pathetically weak.
Besides, Deng Jiugong meant to recruit them and hadn't struck to kill.
He was used to fighting opponents above his level. Those whose cultivation was inferior to his were simply pushovers.
"Impressive!"
Yuan Hong wasn't angry. Instead, he was delighted. He moved in a flash and punched straight at Deng Jiugong.
He could tell Deng Jiugong was strong. To injure his brothers with his bare hands made him a worthy opponent.
Yuan Hong's body was exceptionally tough, and he was a body-tempering cultivator. From the start, he'd decided to meet Deng Jiugong's physical strength head-on.
Buzz!
Facing Yuan Hong's punch, Deng Jiugong remained calm and struck back, meeting it head-on.
He could tell Yuan Hong was at the early Taiyi Golden Immortal stage.
Deng Jiugong's physical cultivation, meanwhile, had already reached the peak of the Golden Immortal Realm. The gap between them wasn't all that great.
He'd been able to contend with Yang Jian, who was at the early Taiyi Golden Immortal stage, using a body at the early Golden Immortal stage.
Now that his strength had improved, how could Yuan Hong possibly be his match?
Boom!
After a terrifying crash, Yuan Hong was sent flying.
"How can this be?"
Yuan Hong stared in astonishment.
He was an Arm-reaching Ape Monkey, naturally endowed with immense strength. With the Eight-Nine Arcane Art enhancing him, he was undoubtedly among those capable of fighting above their level.
Yet today, Deng Jiugong, the Great Shang Marshal, had outclassed him. Yuan Hong could hardly understand it.
Worse, he was actually weaker than Deng Jiugong. That was simply absurd.
He could clearly tell Deng Jiugong was only at the Golden Immortal Realm, yet he was this terrifying.
"Again!"
Unwilling to accept defeat, Yuan Hong awakened the bloodline within him and unleashed his Demon Ape True Form. His body suddenly grew enormous, and his strength surged countless times over.
Then he circulated the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, and his strength rose again.
The other six monsters watched, visibly excited.
"Big Brother's getting serious!"
When Big Brother showed his power, no one could stand against him!
"That Deng Jiugong is as good as dead!"
As the words fell, Yuan Hong, in his Demon Ape True Form, struck at Deng Jiugong.
"I'll show you what it means to be utterly crushed!"
Deng Jiugong raised a fist, circulated the Nine Revolutions Profound Art, and punched straight at Yuan Hong.
Rumble!
After a series of deafening crashes, Yuan Hong's enormous Demon Ape form was suddenly sent flying.
Yuan Hong nearly spat blood.
Clearly, even after using his Demon Ape True Form, his strength still couldn't match Deng Jiugong's.
Yuan Hong was utterly shocked.
Deng Jiugong's strength was truly astonishing.
Still, Yuan Hong refused to give in.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned his magic treasure: an iron staff that now appeared in his grasp.
The iron staff was a formidable magic treasure.
He immediately swung it viciously at Deng Jiugong.
Rumble!
Deng Jiugong still didn't summon a magic treasure. He pushed the Nine Revolutions Profound Art to its limits and punched.
The force of the blow surged like a raging flood, sending Yuan Hong flying once more.
Yuan Hong stopped himself and stared blankly at Deng Jiugong, dumbfounded.
"The Marshal's strength is truly incredible!"
Coming back to his senses, Yuan Hong spoke in disbelief.
Clearly, Deng Jiugong could defeat him without even using a magic treasure. His true strength was unfathomable.
Deng Jiugong owed much of his power to his formidable cultivation art, and he also possessed Pangu Bloodline.
The Eight-Nine Arcane Art was impressive, but it was nowhere near the Nine Revolutions Profound Art.
And Pangu Bloodline was stronger than Chaos Demon Ape Bloodline. Yuan Hong was no match for him at all.
As far as Deng Jiugong was concerned, Yuan Hong's cultivation was flimsy as tofu!
Still, he had to admit that Yuan Hong was quite powerful. In particular, with the Chaos Demon Ape Bloodline's origin within him, he was only one level above Deng Jiugong, and his strength was nearly equal.
"Now the rebels of Xiqi are running rampant, intent on seizing Great Shang's realm."
"The Seven Monsters of Mount Mei have decent strength. How about serving as this marshal's generals and protecting Great Shang?"
Deng Jiugong said calmly.
Yuan Hong furrowed his brows and rejected him outright.
"The Spiritual Energy of Mount Mei Holy Land is abundant, and cultivation comes quickly there. We have no desire to take part in the war between Shang and Zhou!"
Deng Jiugong smiled faintly.
"The Spiritual Energy of Mount Mei is indeed decent, but how could cultivating there be faster than taking immortal pills and elixirs?"
Yuan Hong's expression shifted.
"Does the Marshal have immortal pills and elixirs?"
"I can refine immortal pills and elixirs myself. They're all kept in the military camp for my generals to use."
"If the Seven Monsters of Mount Mei join my camp and serve as my generals, your cultivation will advance faster than it would through bitter cultivation on Mount Mei."
Deng Jiugong explained.
"Is that really true, Marshal?"
Yuan Hong asked.
"I am Great Shang's commander. Once I give my word, not even four horses could drag it back. Why would I lie?"
Deng Jiugong replied.
At that, the Seven Monsters of Mount Mei exchanged glances. Their hearts stirred, and they made up their minds.
"The Seven Monsters of Mount Mei are willing to follow the Marshal's lead!"
Yuan Hong and the others declared.
Before you continue