Downstream of the Milky River.
A Kong lay bound, arms and legs tied in a five-flower knot, at the edge of a massive boulder. Tears welled in his eyes, and his great ape face was a portrait of grievance.
Beside him, another monkey demon kept gulping down unknown pills, glancing back now and then. The sight sent a chill racing down A Kongâs spine.
He desperately wanted to flee. Who understood himâhis family! As a Battle-Heaven Crow Ape, this was already the second time a demon clan had tried to abduct him. Good heavensâare you all blind? Havenât you noticed Iâm male? If youâve truly nothing better to do, why not go after some lovely female monkey demons instead of dragging me up here to Heaven? Tired of local fruit and craving fresh meat, are you? Bahâshameless dogs! If I could beat any of you, Iâd hammer you to death on the spot. But these demons are all âcross-river dragons,â overwhelming me, the local boss of the Celestial Realm.
My only hope is that my little niece will soon return to the Wuwei Tower and fetch my big brother for help. Otherwise, this lifetimeâs innocence will be truly lost! At the thought of the worst that could happen, two clear tears rolled slowly down his cheeks.
Just then, a figure appeared as if from nowhereâYe Yu, with Xiao Meng the winged little ox by his side. When it comes to finding people, Xiao Meng is unrivaled: a cross-era holographic map at his fingertipsâwho could hide? Ye Yu had actually left Wuwei Tower but turned back to fetch Xiao Meng, enabling them to locate A Kong without difficulty.
It was worth noting that when Ye Yu returned, all the Immortal couples were gathered around, muttering something about âbrain treatment.â Ye Yu, eager to rescue A Kong, hadnât paused to ask questionsâthankfully, they arrived just in time. Aside from extra tears, A Kong was unharmed.
âBoss, youâve finally come. My innocence is savedâboo-hoo!â When moved, even a Battle-Heaven Crow Ape sheds tears of gratitude.
Ye Yu casually sliced through the demon-rope binding him, then cast a curious glance at the monkey demon. In coming, he had made no effort to conceal himself; the demon had seen him but done nothingâonly watched in a daze, mouth still shoveling pills. His belly bulged unnaturally.
Ye Yu pressed his palms together and invoked the
Burial of All Beings
from the Great Dream of Three Thousand Roads. In the next moment, a heavy gray stone coffin appeared behind the monkey demon, its surface etched with countless arcane seals faintly glowing. As the coffin lid lifted, a powerful suction burst forth. The demon tried to flee but was too lateâshadowy arms dragged him into the sarcophagus.
With a roar from within, the demonâs belly pulsed an eerie light, as if something terrible was about to explode. When the coffin slammed shut, a muffled boom resonated and the seals flared, forcibly suppressing the power within.
Then Ye Yu felt a warm current flood through him. Burial of All Beings grants cultivation with each soul interredâand a small chance of acquiring new methods or abilities. Normally the reward for sealing a Demon King-level being would be meager, but this time Ye Yu received strength at the cusp of the Demon Emperor realmâhighly irregular. Even simple-minded A Kong sensed something was off and blurted out, âBoss, whatâs going on here?â
âYou should ask whoever bound you here, not me!â Ye Yu replied, already certain this was a setupâone aimed at him or Wuwei Tower. Otherwise the demon would have harmed A Kong long before now.
At that moment, slow, deliberate applause echoed out. âImmortal Ye, this is the great Dao youâve comprehendedâremarkable indeed.â Emerging from auspicious clouds, Mo Tianjun wore a genial smile. âThat monkey demon was my specially cultivated Demon-Form Burst Talisman. Each pill he swallowed equals a thousand top-grade Burst Talismans. Of course, I never expected him to kill youâonly to injure you or disrupt your qi flow. His sole purpose was to lure you here!â
Hearing this, Ye Yu couldnât help but laugh. âIf you just wanted to attract me, why go to all this trouble? Why not simply use a Communication Stone?â
Mo Tianjunâs expression flickered. âI feared you might not come. Honestly, if it were up to me, I wouldnât have come looking for you so soon!â
Those were Mo Tianjunâs rare, honest words. His original plan had been to wait a century, until he neared the shattering of the Void, then strikeâensuring success and full absorption. But Ye Yuâs breakthrough speed had been astonishing, and Ye Yu seemed suspiciousâelse he â đđšđŻđđ„đąđ đĄđ â wouldnât have made that cryptic remark. Mo Tianjun had to abandon his plan, heal his wounds, prepare fully, then act. That was Change One.
Yet fate works in mysterious ways. In his haste to recover, Mo Tianjun had sought treatment from the Daoist physician Wuya, only to chance upon Ye Yu. Enemies seem destined to meetâand he still hadnât wanted to force a confrontation, not yet being fully ready. So he showed every restraint.
But every act of forbearance sparked rumors in the Three Corpses Hall. His ruthless subordinates, demons who respected only the strong, grew disappointed. Seeing him hesitate even as Elder Tao Huaming died before his eyes, they began to doubt their leaderâs strength. And now, within the Divine Physicianâs sanctuary, he hesitated againâdeepening their disillusionment, making them whisper that Mo Tianjun had grown old and could no longer wield the blade.