Chen Yang could not care about that much. He controlled the World in the Palm, condensed ten Great Suns, and formed an array. "Golden Crow Formation, burn for me! Six-Eared Macaque, I want to see how you'll escape..."
That was right. Chen Yang's World in the Palm had transformed from the previous Five-Elements Grand Formation into the Golden Crow Formation. Ten Great Suns intertwined, turning into scorching Great Sun True Fire that incinerated the Six-Eared Macaque within.
At that moment, one could clearly see the Six-Eared Macaque within the formation, clutching the As-You-Will Iron Staff as he roared, "Golden Crow bastard! Once I kill my way out, I'll skin you alive and pull out your tendons..."
The Six-Eared Macaque roared and swung the iron staff in his hand, fiercely guarding the palace within the herb garden. Then he brandished the staff, intending to destroy the Great Suns.
No one knew how much time had passed—perhaps three years, perhaps ten.
Chen Yang simply maintained the Golden Crow Formation and the World in the Palm, continuously burning the Six-Eared Macaque inside.
Yet the Six-Eared Macaque was far too powerful. Even now, he had not been refined to death. Instead, amid the Great Sun True Fire, he grew fiercer with every battle, destroying the Golden Crows formed from the flames one after another.
"What cultivation does this Six-Eared Macaque actually possess? I've burned and refined him with the Golden Crow Formation for so long, yet he still hasn't died. This is..."
Chen Yang was exhausted, and a trace of solemnity appeared in his expression. He truly found this monkey terrifying.
What level of cultivation could withstand the Golden Crow Formation's burning for so many years? Even if the Golden Crow Formation Chen Yang had condensed was somewhat lacking in power, the Great Sun True Fire was still flame from the Solar Star...
Though shaken, Chen Yang could only go all out and refine this monkey.
However, a terrifying aura suddenly emerged from the formation.
The Six-Eared Macaque stood amid the flames. He abruptly erupted with fury, his body expanding as a savage, primordial aura emerged.
"Roar... Heavenly Dharma Form..." the Six-Eared Macaque howled, his aura surging like rolling waves.
The Six-Eared Macaque unleashed the Heavenly Dharma Form. His body grew enormous, as did the As-You-Will Iron Staff in his hand.
At once, the Six-Eared Macaque roared in fury and swung the iron staff at the blazing Great Sun before him.
With a bang, one of the Great Suns Chen Yang had manifested shattered. A single strike had smashed apart a Great Sun, and the force of it even caused Chen Yang's World in the Palm to show signs of collapse.
"What—cough..." Chen Yang spat out blood, astonishment filling his face before he growled, "How does this monkey still have strength left..."
"Of course he has strength left. This Six-Eared Macaque's cultivation is higher than even your master's. How could he possibly have none left?" A deep voice came from nearby as a plump Daoist appeared.
Chen Yang looked at the Daoist, delight appearing on his face. "Master, you finally came."
"Hmph. Brat, if I hadn't come, your little life would have been gone." Duobao spoke as he flicked his whisk, enveloping Chen Yang.
Chen Yang immediately felt relieved. The scorching heat burning within his body, as well as all the depletion he had suffered earlier, fully recovered. "Thank you, Master. This monkey..."
"Enough. Take Yunxiao and the others to rest. Leave this Six-Eared Macaque to me. Still, you lot are quite something—you actually dared attack a Quasi-Saint. The fact that you didn't die means your lives are blessed." As Duobao spoke, solemnity appeared in his expression as well.
Chen Yang withdrew the World in the Palm. Hearing Duobao's words, he instantly fell silent.
The Three Xiao were the same. They exchanged glances, all finding it unbelievable.
Chen Yang had wanted to ask something, but Duobao had already charged forward.
Duobao descended into the herb garden and flicked his whisk, dispersing the remaining Great Sun True Fire. He looked at the Six-Eared Macaque, who had returned to his normal form. "Six-Eared Macaque, it has been a long time."
"Duobao? So it is you. What do you want..." The Six-Eared Macaque spoke in a low voice, filled with warning.
"I do not want anything. Coming here was merely a coincidence of fate. Still, I never expected the once-renowned Six-Eared Macaque to have fallen to such a state. The affairs of the world are fickle—tragic, truly tragic..." Duobao said with a sigh.
"Duobao, I do not need your pity. I don't care what you intend to do. Leave this place at once, or I'll fight you to the death." The Six-Eared Macaque issued a threat.
"Six-Eared Macaque... in your current state, how much longer can you endure? When Penglai was destroyed all those years ago, you had already died." Duobao said thoughtfully.
"Bastard... Penglai was not destroyed. Penglai still exists. Duobao, you insult Penglai—I'll fight you to the death..." Upon hearing this, the Six-Eared Macaque raised his iron staff and charged out.
Duobao merely shook his head. With a flick of his whisk, he struck back with a Void Hand Seal. "Six-Eared Macaque... when Penglai was destroyed, your vitality was severed. The you of today are merely a wisp of obsession attached to the As-You-Will Iron Staff. Disperse..."
As he spoke, he manifested the Void Hand Seal and suppressed the Six-Eared Macaque before him.
The present Six-Eared Macaque was utterly incapable of resisting Duobao. He was suppressed in an instant.
Yet even so, the Six-Eared Macaque's battle intent remained. He roared, "Duobao, Penglai will never be destroyed. Never..."
"Alas... he is a pitiful man after all..." Duobao sighed, then employed a wondrous art to erase the final obsession.
Buzz, buzz, buzz...
After the Six-Eared Macaque's obsession vanished, a mournful cry came from the remaining As-You-Will Iron Staff.
It was the weapon spirit's lament, mourning for its master. Soon after, the weapon spirit's soaring battle intent faded away.
Spiritual treasures possessed spirits. Having followed the Six-Eared Macaque for so long, it had long since merged with his will.
Now that the Six-Eared Macaque had died miserably, the weapon spirit was unwilling to linger on in ignoble existence. It thus extinguished its own consciousness.
Duobao faintly shook his head. "A loyal weapon, indeed."
With that, Duobao shook his head again and flicked his sleeve, tossing the weapon to Chen Yang, who had approached.
Chen Yang caught the As-You-Will Iron Staff. Feeling that the weapon spirit had perished and knowing that it would take a long time for a new weapon spirit to be born, he asked, "Master, what exactly happened? How was the Six-Eared Macaque a Quasi-Saint? And what does he have to do with Penglai?"
"Disciple... these matters are taboos of the Primordial World. Speaking of it, the Six-Eared Macaque was one of the incarnations of the Chaos Demon Ape. In terms of aptitude, he surpassed even your master. Moreover, the Six-Eared Macaque possessed an innate divine ability. Even without high cultivation or entering Zixiao Palace, he could eavesdrop on the sermons.
That was why Dao Ancestor Hongjun once said, 'The Dharma shall not be passed to six ears.' Perhaps because of those words, the Zixiao Guests and many great powers of the Primordial World did not dare teach the Six-Eared Macaque, leaving him unable to cultivate. Yet there was one person who did not care about this.
That person was the Eastern Sovereign..."
Chen Yang's expression changed upon hearing this. "So the Six-Eared Macaque had this connection with the Eastern Sovereign..."
Yunxiao was the same. Fear still lingered in her heart, along with guilt. "Senior Brother Duobao... it was this junior sister's fault. I led my nephew into such danger. I..."
Duobao stroked his beard and smiled. "Junior Sister Yunxiao, there is no need to be so courteous. You meant well, after all, and the appearance of the Six-Eared Macaque was an accident. Besides, Chen Yang has had far too smooth a journey until now. It is good for him to learn a lesson. More importantly, this place holds a great opportunity."
Hearing this, Yunxiao still looked guilty, though she felt much better.
Duobao flicked his whisk and looked at the palace before them. "Enough. Do not dwell on it. Let us explore this opportunity first..."
Chen Yang nodded and looked toward the palace. "Master... the Six-Eared Macaque protected this palace with his life. There must be a great opportunity hidden within."
The Three Xiao thought so as well.
Duobao led the way, avoiding any traps. Yet after entering, they discovered no traps. They only felt overwhelming battle intent and Killing Intent rushing toward them.
Within the Killing Intent, Duobao took out a treasure to isolate the aura and illuminate the palace. The palace was enormous, crisscrossed with passages, and looked like a beautiful garden.
However, at its core lay a physical body.
"Six-Eared Macaque..." Chen Yang could not help saying when he saw the body.
The body before them belonged to the Six-Eared Macaque.
The Six-Eared Macaque before them wore shattered armor. The blood essence staining it looked as though it had only just flowed. That blood essence radiated a formidable aura and had clearly not been left behind by any cultivator.
Beyond that, the Six-Eared Macaque's body was badly damaged and pierced through by countless weapons. Most terrifying of all, a long sword had pierced directly through his forehead.
Looking at such a body, one could see how brutal the battle the Six-Eared Macaque had endured before his death must have been.
Chen Yang understood that this was what the Six-Eared Macaque had experienced when Penglai was destroyed.
Now, despite being so badly damaged, the Six-Eared Macaque's body still radiated battlefield Killing Intent and an immensely terrifying majesty.
Duobao looked at the body and sighed with deep emotion. "Alas... the Six-Eared Macaque once possessed peerless battle intent. He truly inspired admiration. Even in death, he remained so unyielding."
Chen Yang stared at the Six-Eared Macaque's body, sensing the aura it emitted. "Master... this Six-Eared Macaque's body is so powerful. The aura released by his body alone is terrifying."
"The Six-Eared Macaque was also a body-tempering cultivator. Moreover, the body-tempering method he cultivated was created by the Eastern Sovereign specifically for him. It was no inferior to the Nine-Turn Profound Art of our Three Teachings. Through that body-tempering method, his physical cultivation approached Half-Step Primordial Unity. Yet in that final battle, he ultimately lost." Duobao sighed.
Yunxiao also sighed. "Senior Brother Duobao, is it not said that the Four Chaos Monkeys born from the Chaos Demon Ape are deathless and indestructible?"
"This deathlessness and indestructibility merely means rebirth through Reincarnation. Among the Four Chaos Monkeys, whenever one is erased, the origin essence it carries gradually gathers again as time passes. It enters the body of a newly born monkey, or some innate spiritual object, and gives birth to the Four Chaos Monkeys anew. The obsession he had just dispersed means that he has completely died, and his origin essence has scattered as well. After countless years pass, his essence origin will gather again and form a new generation of Six-Eared Macaque. Thus the cycle continues, reincarnating endlessly, deathless and indestructible." Duobao explained slowly.
"Master... has the Six-Eared Macaque reincarnated through many generations?" Chen Yang asked.
"Yes. Since the birth of the Primordial World, countless eras have passed. According to what I have heard, during the ancient era, a Fighting Sage Ape once dominated an age. Later, for various reasons, he fell and was reborn once more. There were also people who wished to rely on the Four Chaos Monkeys to uncover the past of the Primordial World. Unfortunately, the Reincarnation of the Four Chaos Monkeys is absolute. With every rebirth, they completely sever all ties with their previous generation. They have no memories and inherit nothing. They are entirely new beings." Duobao said seriously.
"So that is how it is. A new life... Then, Master, can we control the birth of the Six-Eared Macaque?" Chen Yang asked as he looked at the Six-Eared Macaque's body.
Duobao looked at Chen Yang and stroked his beard. "What, do you want to subdue the next generation of Six-Eared Macaque?"
Chen Yang smiled faintly. "Having fought the Six-Eared Macaque's obsession just now, I understand his strength very clearly. It would naturally be excellent if I could subdue a being with such aptitude."
"Good, good. That is what you think, and it is also what I think. Take away the Six-Eared Macaque's body, then use the Great Sun True Fire to temper it. In the end, refine the Six-Eared Macaque's blood essence. Afterward, use the blood essence to gradually gather the Six-Eared Macaque's origin essence. I estimate that after waiting several tens of thousands of years, you will see a new generation of Six-Eared Macaque born." Duobao said slowly.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yang said, "All right. Then I'll put away the Six-Eared Macaque's body first."
As he spoke, Chen Yang prepared to use the Firmament Diagram to store the Six-Eared Macaque's body before him. Yet just as he was about to do so, a trace of aura faintly emerged from within the Six-Eared Macaque's body.
That aura was vast and majestic, filled with tolerance and greatness.
At that moment, Duobao's expression turned grave. "Wait, this aura..."
Chen Yang's expression also grew solemn as he sensed the terror of that aura. Looking carefully, he discovered a wisp of golden aura within the Six-Eared Macaque's body.
That wisp of aura had been perfectly protected by the Six-Eared Macaque's body and nourished by its origin aura.
Chen Yang stared at it and could not help guessing, "Master... this wisp of aura, could it be the Eastern Sovereign..."
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