Copper Head Iron Bones! Immobility Technique!

Wukong had only just become a soul beast and did not yet understand the importance of a soul beast's "territorial instinct."

Assuming the other party merely coveted the spiritual energy here and wanted a place to cultivate, he politely said, "Fellow cultivator, the spiritual energy here is abundant. We can each take what we need without disturbing one another. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

For soul beasts, speaking human language was a privilege reserved for Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, but Wukong was different.

First, he had been reincarnated from a human and already knew the human language.

Second, he had been reborn as an Innate Spirit Monkey. Compared with other soul beasts, he was more human-like, so after a little practice, he regained his ability to speak.

Yet Wukong had not expected this.

Before he could finish speaking, the giant snake suddenly attacked!

To her, how could she allow another beast to sleep soundly within her territory!

Her body flashed, turning into a purple-black bolt of lightning as she lunged at him.

Her massive tail whipped through the foul wind and swept viciously toward Wukong!

"Heh—"

Wukong let out a strange cry. With no time to think, he instinctively activated his Soul Power.

Copper Head Iron Bones!

In an instant.

The sinews and bones throughout his body rang in unison. His flesh tightened like iron, his fur stood on end, and a faint bronze sheen spread over his entire body!

Clang!!!

The massive tail struck Wukong squarely in the waist, producing a deafening screech of metal against metal.

Wukong was sent flying sideways, plowing a trench several yards long through the ground before steadying himself.

"That's it? Were you scratching an itch for me?"

Wukong bared his teeth. Blood and energy churned within his chest, but his skin remained unbroken and his bones intact.

A clear flicker of astonishment flashed through the giant snake's vertical pupils.

She had clearly not expected her full-force attack to fail even to breach his defenses.

But her shock was immediately replaced by even fiercer savagery, and the giant snake's attacks became more ruthless.

"No, this is too close to the spring. Even if we fight, we can't do it here!"

"If the immortal herbs here get damaged, that'd be a huge loss!"

With that in mind, Wukong took the initiative to shift the battlefield, leading the giant snake to fight at the mouth of the valley.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The giant tail swept repeatedly, venomous fangs darted out, and poisonous mist billowed forth.

Wukong struggled to fend her off. He had nothing but an iron body, brute strength, and the ability to take hits.

The giant snake's attacks were crafty and vicious, while her poisonous mist was even more troublesome. Though it was not lethal, it made his Soul Power circulate sluggishly.

Several times, he nearly had his vital spots bitten, relying entirely on Copper Head Iron Bones to endure the blows.

After battling for some time, the giant snake saw that physical attacks could do nothing to this stone monkey. She suddenly retreated several yards, lifted her triangular head high, and two strange grayish-white lights abruptly lit up in her eyes.

Wukong's heart tightened. Sensing trouble, he was about to dodge when the giant snake released a low hiss. The next instant, two grayish-white beams shot from her eyes.

Petrification Ray!

This was an innate soul skill of the Medusa Race. Anyone swept by this light would have their flesh rapidly stiffen and turn to solid stone. It was vicious beyond measure.

Wukong had no time to think and instinctively raised an arm to block.

Bang—

The rays struck him instantly.

Yet—nothing happened.

Wukong looked at his arm, then patted his chest. The petrifying light had fallen upon him like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to stir even the slightest reaction.

Not only that, but the energy contained within the Petrification Ray was absorbed by his Spirit Stone Body, rapidly restoring some of his depleted Soul Power.

"Huh?"

Wukong froze at first, then burst into laughter. "Well, damn! Are you giving Old Sun supplements? Come on, come on, fire a few more! Let Old Sun nourish himself!"

The giant snake's vertical pupils abruptly contracted as astonishment and wariness rose in her heart.

Her attacks mainly consisted of physical strikes and Petrification Ray. Now, her physical attacks could not break his defenses, while the Petrification Ray was not only useless but actually restored his Soul Power.

This damn monkey was practically her nemesis. No matter how she looked at it, she simply could not hurt him!

Wukong noticed that her momentum had faltered, and he secretly rejoiced, knowing his chance had come.

"It would be impolite not to return the favor!"

"Let you taste Old Sun's Immobility Technique too!"

A sharp gleam flashed through Wukong's eyes as he fiercely activated the Soul Power he had just regained.

He suddenly thrust out his right index finger, pointing at the snake's head from afar as he shouted in a low voice:

"Freeze!"

An invisible force shot from his fingertip, swift as lightning, instantly enveloping the giant snake's entire body.

The giant snake's movements suddenly stiffened. She stopped less than an inch from Wukong, her head frozen in midair, even her forked tongue stiffening before it could flick out again.

At that moment, terror surfaced once more in the giant snake's vertical pupils. It felt as though an invisible mountain had pinned it down, rendering every inch of her muscles unable to move.

This move was somewhat similar to her own Petrification Ray...

The hateful part was that her Petrification Ray did not work on this damn monkey.

Yet his technique worked on her!

Where was she supposed to seek justice for that?

"Hehe, can't move now, can you?"

Wukong grinned, flashed forward, and closed in. Both hands clamped around the snake's body below the vital point of her neck, then he raised his hardened fists and slammed them down in a frenzy.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Six punches in a single breath.

Every blow was a critical hit.

Until the immobilization ended.

The moment the giant snake recovered, she began rolling madly, trying to throw Wukong from her body.

But Wukong held on tightly and refused to let go. The two rolled through the valley, kicking up dust that filled the sky.

After tangling for a long while longer, both had expended much of their strength.

Wukong was determined not to release his grip, while the giant snake had also realized she could do nothing to this damn monkey.

Finally, she struggled with all her might and flung Wukong away, retreating several yards herself before her breathing gradually steadied.

Wukong rubbed his aching arms and looked at the equally wary giant snake across from him. He spoke again, "I told you, what's the point of fighting? This place is so big. Isn't it enough for both of us to cultivate?"

"Hiss, hiss, hiss—"

The giant snake stopped, her tongue flicking uncertainly.

In her understanding, territorial disputes could only end in life or death.

But this stone monkey's defenses were absurd. If they continued fighting, even if she could win, it would only be a miserable victory.

After pondering for a long time, the giant snake finally gave a low cry, withdrew her attacking posture, then turned and slithered toward one side of the valley. She chose a shady spot and coiled herself there.

From then on, the valley had another silent neighbor.

The snake was cold and aloof by nature, preferring stillness to movement. Often, she would lie still for months at a time.

Though she possessed intelligence, she could not speak human language, so she and Wukong rarely communicated. Each simply cultivated on their own.

Wukong was happy enough with the peace and quiet. He had always been devoted to the path of cultivation and the pursuit of strength. Having a neighbor of comparable power nearby could both keep him alert and save him much trouble.

Thus, the days passed amid silent cultivation.

Several decades later.

Wukong cultivated deep beneath the spring every day, and his cultivation steadily improved as a result. Before long, it broke through to seventy thousand years.

Medusa naturally saw this and felt envy in her heart. She also wanted to cultivate in the spring like Wukong.

But she did not possess an Ice-Fire Immunity Body. Merely approaching the spring was enough for the violent ice and fire energy to injure her.

Yet she persisted, trying again and again.

At last.

After Wukong finished his daily cultivation and surfaced from the spring.

He saw a giant snake, half-frozen and half-scorched, lying by the spring's edge on the verge of death.

Her aura was in complete disorder. She had clearly tried to forcibly absorb the ice and fire energy, only to suffer backlash from the violent power and sustain severe damage to her internal organs!

"Idiot! How many times have I told you? You never listen. Now look at you—you've been cooked and frozen all at once..."

Wukong cursed under his breath, but he did not stand by and watch. He immediately stepped forward, grabbed Medusa's body, and hurriedly dragged her away from the spring's range.

Then he transferred his own Soul Power to heal this foolish snake's injuries.

This treatment lasted several months.

Medusa was initially still wary, but as time passed and she saw that Wukong was sincerely doing his best to save her, her expression gradually softened.

After her injuries fully healed, she coiled herself before Wukong, stared at him for a long while, then slowly lowered her head in gratitude.

"As they say, a distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor. Besides, I don't have any family in this world."

Wukong chuckled. "If something happens to me in the future, just remember to save me."

"Hiss, hiss—"

Medusa solemnly nodded her head.