Chapter Thirty-Six: The Great Ape

Leng Bingyan sprinted wildly, the yellow sand dunes around him rapidly receding into the distance. When he finally stopped, he realized he was in an entirely unfamiliar place.

Everywhere he looked, there were barren black rocks scattered haphazardly, and the air was thick with a foul, nauseating stench. Where was this place? Unable to bear it, Bingyan covered his nose. “A field of forsaken graves!” The phrase popped into his mind—an apt description for such a desolate scene.

In the desert, after walking for half a day, he was still wandering aimlessly, yet now, after only a brief sprint, he had left the endless sea of yellow sand behind. He no longer dwelled on it; surely, by obtaining the Earth Essence, the trial’s earth domain had dissolved on its own. This thought further confirmed his suspicion that the Scorpion King’s inner core harbored the Earth Essence. Without further concern for his surroundings, Bingyan sat down on the spot, took out the Scorpion King’s inner core, and began to absorb its power.

Just as he’d hoped, the inner core did indeed contain the Earth Essence. As with the python’s core before, Bingyan followed the same method: a surge of potent energy first burst forth, which he absorbed without missing a trace, storing it in the golden core at his dantian. Once the energy was depleted, a power even more sacred and inviolable seeped out—the Earth Essence, brimming with the aura of the land itself. As it entered his body, it immediately resonated with the Wood Essence within him. When these two essences met, they entwined at once.

Now, in his dantian, alongside the green mist of the Wood Essence, there was a ring of yellow mist—the Earth Essence. The two energies whirled rapidly around the golden core, chasing and playing with each other like lively children.

With the Earth Essence absorbed, Bingyan’s golden core grew even stronger, now nearly the size of half an egg.

After balancing his inner energies, Bingyan exhaled in relief. His purpose in coming to the Trial Forest was to obtain the five elemental essences and strengthen his power. Yet, in such a short time, he had already acquired the Earth and Wood Essences—his luck was truly extraordinary.

Opening his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings and was struck by the sight before him. What did it mean to call a place barren and foul? Here, with tendrils of green mist swirling amidst an air of decay and death, barren black stones were everywhere, bleached bones littered the ground, and several pools of fetid green slime bubbled in the marshes. It was hard to imagine anything living in such a desolate, corrupted place. The sight was thoroughly unsettling.

Just as Bingyan, deeply repulsed, was about to leave, two flashes of golden light caught his attention. Gripping his Blue Sword tightly, he readied himself for danger and stepped forward. He found a narrow cave opening beneath a low mound of bones.

The golden light had come from within, yet now it was pitch black. Bingyan began to suspect it had been a trick of his eyes.

It was unwise to blunder into an unknown cave before understanding the situation—better not to startle whatever might be lurking within. Deciding against it, Bingyan turned to leave.

At that moment, a streak of golden light shot out, aiming straight for his back. Fortunately, with his strength greatly increased, his senses were sharper than ever. He sensed the disturbance behind him, spun swiftly, and evaded the attack. When he looked back, the cave was still and silent.

A chill crept into Bingyan’s heart. He puzzled over the situation—what could be hiding here, so elusive and secretive? Extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures. Gathering all the true energy within him, along with the violet Linyu Aura, Bingyan prepared a devastating strike to flush out whatever ghostly presence lurked within.

Sword in hand, he stood ready. With a cold snort, he unleashed his attack, spiritual power swirling and condensing into sword energy that shot forth in all directions with a force unlike any before. A series of thunderous booms echoed as the low hill collapsed and the cave vanished without a trace. Bingyan’s lips curled into a satisfied smile; this was his first true display of strength since his power had grown, and he was pleased with the result.

He thought back to his days as a hopeless martial artist; never had he imagined he would achieve such prowess.

His brief reverie was interrupted as he noticed an unusual figure upon the bare black rocks. His eyes narrowed in disbelief—could such a creature truly exist in this world? What he saw was a giant monkey, entirely golden!

The great monkey’s body gleamed with a metallic sheen, and as it moved over the black rocks, a series of metallic clangs echoed. At that moment, the golden monkey fixed its large, golden eyes on him, radiating an intense fury.

But Bingyan was entirely unfazed by the monkey’s thunderous rage. So what if he’d destroyed its lair? In this forsaken place, clinging to such a wretched spot was pointless. With a gentle smile and a look of pity, Bingyan regarded the great monkey.

The golden monkey grew even angrier at being looked down upon by a mere youth. With a few sharp cries, it approached Bingyan, its imposing presence growing stronger as it came closer.

With a low exclamation, Bingyan tightened his grip on the Blue Sword, steadied his stance, and launched the first attack with lightning speed. Of all things in the world, nothing is unbreakable; of all methods, speed is unrivaled!

Clang—the metallic body proved formidable indeed. When the Blue Sword struck the golden monkey, Bingyan felt a violent shock travel through his hands. Yet he did not retreat; instead, he pressed on, unleashing several more strikes in quick succession.

Suppressing his fear and acting on instinct, Bingyan had not expected the golden monkey’s body to be so formidable. Summoning all his strength, he sent a beam of sword light at the beast, powerful and relentless. When it struck, a deafening crash resounded through the air.

The monkey let out a wail of pain, its body twisting wildly. Bingyan saw that his attack had indeed injured it—though the wound was slight, it was a breakthrough nonetheless. Emboldened by this success, he pressed his assault, his blows growing fiercer and more ruthless. In that moment, Bingyan was a madman, utterly and completely—a force not to be provoked.

Unknowingly, he had closed the distance between himself and the golden monkey. Now, true energy was no longer his main weapon; he shifted to using the Linyu Aura, which roared within him, his golden core pulsing as it released torrents of violet energy.

The Blue Sword in his hand was enveloped in a violet glow. Its blade, empowered, extended by several inches, growing thicker and sharper.

The brilliant violet sword light, with the Blue Sword hidden within it, swept forward with astonishing speed, obliterating all obstacles in its path.

The golden monkey seemed to sense the impending danger; the golden light in its eyes dimmed with a hint of fear, as if it wished to retreat. But the sword light was faster than any escape. Guided by the Linyu Aura, its piercing power was immense. With a crisp ring, the Blue Sword thrust straight at the golden monkey. It paused only briefly at the beast’s body before piercing through.

The golden monkey could not understand why its indestructible body had been penetrated by this blue sword, but the outcome was inevitable—its death was sealed.

Even in its malice, the golden monkey made a final, vicious counterattack. With its last strength, it lashed out with a steel-clawed paw at Bingyan. Unprepared for the blow, Bingyan felt a searing pain on his arm, and soon blood flowed freely.

“Damn you!” Bingyan cursed through gritted teeth, yanking the Blue Sword from the monkey’s body and stabbing it several more times in his frustration, shouting, “That’s what you get for hurting me! I’ll skewer you! Skewer you!”