Chapter 126: Let's Go, Time to Catch a Monkey

“Everyone, hear me out! A demon monkey has emerged and thrown an entire region into chaos. It is a great scourge upon the human world! The Great Wilderness is now beset by troubles both within and without. We must unite!

“Who is willing to come with me and subdue the demon monkey? Let justice be done…”

An Earthbound Immortal shouted the appeal, immediately drawing numerous people into agreement.

“Subdue the demon monkey! Subdue the demon monkey…”

“Good! Everyone, come with me to the Eastern Sea. Let us see just how many heads this legendary demon monkey really has. Move!”

Once the decision was made, they acted without delay. Before long, a vast host was rushing toward the Eastern Sea, and the entire wasteland instantly returned to its former desolation.

“Whew… They’re finally gone! Thank goodness I was quick-witted just now, or I might really have exposed myself. I wonder whether that monkey can withstand being surrounded by so many people. I’m actually rather curious to see…”

After everyone had departed, Ye Qiu stood on the hillside above the tavern and fell into deep thought.

That monkey possessed the Golden-Banded Wish-Granting Staff Ye Qiu had personally forged for it. On top of that, it had stolen several treasures from him. Subduing it would certainly not be easy.

Ye Qiu had already guessed yesterday that once the monkey went out, it would surely cause a great disturbance. He simply had not expected it to happen so soon.

“The gods are descending to subdue the demon monkey? Heh heh, how interesting. It’s becoming more and more interesting. A great uproar in Heaven is already unfolding. I wonder whether that foolish monkey can hold out until then…”

Ye Qiu spoke indifferently. He had no intention of going with the others. He could not be bothered with such trivial matters—and besides, the monkey had been taught by him. His identity was special, so he absolutely could not reveal himself.

Go on, make as much trouble as you like! The more chaos, the better. Perhaps I can even take advantage of the commotion to make a profit…

“Cao the Traitor!”

With that thought in mind, Ye Qiu shouted loudly. Cao He emerged from the tavern, looking around in confusion.

“What is it, Master?”

“Go and bring out my Cosmos Mirror. I want to see what this monkey is capable of…”

Cao He took out a mirror. Ye Qiu sat down on the hillside and waved one hand, brushing away the mist that veiled its surface. An image immediately appeared.

This mirror was called the Cosmos Mirror. Ye Qiu had accidentally created it while forging a weapon.

It possessed no formidable offensive power. Its sole function was much like that of a surveillance device: it could clearly display everything happening within a hundred miles.

Of course, there was one condition. For the mirror to reveal what lay beyond a hundred miles, someone there had to be carrying something bearing Ye Qiu’s presence—or possess a trace of his aura.

That little stone monkey carried more than just Ye Qiu’s aura. Even its clothes and weapon had been forged by him. Thus, Ye Qiu could clearly see everything taking place in the Eastern Sea.

He had nearly forgotten about the Cosmos Mirror. Only after seeing so many people go after the monkey did his curiosity remind him of it.

“Heh heh! Let’s see what this monkey can really do…”

As soon as the Cosmos Mirror was activated, a monkey appeared clearly within Ye Qiu’s field of vision.

The monkey wore armor and a feathered crest atop its head. At first glance, it truly possessed the bearing of the Handsome Monkey King.

The Golden-Banded Staff in its hand had thrown the entire Eastern Sea into utter chaos. The devastation was indescribable.

“Damn it, that pig is there too?”

Within the image, Ye Qiu clearly saw the monkey riding a pig and rampaging recklessly through the Eastern Sea. Wherever they went, the people suffered terribly.

This pig had also been raised by Ye Qiu. He had named it Eight Precepts.

“No way. Could it really be that much of a coincidence? How did that thoughtless act of mine from back then actually come true?”

Ye Qiu stared blankly at the scene. Those two useless troublemakers had truly ended up together?

Good heavens. If the two of them joined forces, would the whole world not descend into utter chaos?

Well, the truth was already right before his eyes.

In the image, the monkey rode the pig at full speed into a region shrouded in mist. It appeared to be a dead sea, with bones floating everywhere across its surface.

“Brother Monkey! Look! What’s that?”

As they hurried forward, the Old Pig suddenly stopped. He stared fixedly at the scene before him, his face filled with terror.

The monkey looked over. The instant it did, it sucked in a sharp breath.

“Hiss… There are so many corpses! What kind of place is this?”

The monkey was badly frightened as well. They had stumbled into this place in their panic while fleeing their pursuers, never expecting to discover the remains of an ancient battlefield.

“Brother Monkey, don’t tell me we’ve entered the legendary domain of the Northern Darkness Dead Sea?”

“Impossible. We were clearly in the Eastern Sea. How could we have entered the waters of the Northern Darkness?”

The monkey immediately rejected the idea, but there was no explaining the scene before them.

An ominous aura permeated the region, and the atmosphere was thick with the breath of death.

What they did not know was that Ye Qiu’s expression on the wasteland had gradually grown grave.

“An Ominous Land?”

He murmured the words, his gaze growing solemn.

If his guess was correct, this should be the place where the calamity had begun.

The black seawater covering the surface had probably been infected by black blood. It was seawater capable of corroding the human heart.

Those dark overlords from before had undoubtedly been eroded by these waters. That was why each of them carried, to some degree, the ominous aura of death.

“I never expected this monkey to bring me such a surprise. What a pity. If they venture any farther into the forbidden zone, there will be no need for so many people to capture them…”

Ye Qiu shook his head. These two ignorant fools truly believed that no one beneath Heaven could subdue them.

“Master, could there be something terrifying inside?” Cao He asked in confusion.

Ye Qiu slowly explained, “Heh, terrifying is putting it mildly. It can be called the ultimate horror—something even more frightening than the void above our heads.”

Cao He drew in a sharp breath. Inwardly, he kept praying that the two fools would stop moving forward. Otherwise, they would truly be doomed.

After all, Cao He had raised the monkey and the pig for most of their lives, and he had grown emotionally attached to them.

Within the image, the monkey stared in terror at the sea hidden deep within the black mist. Suddenly, it shouted, “This is bad! Run!”

The moment its voice fell, an old black paper boat emerged from the dark waters. Carrying an icy terror that made one’s flesh crawl, it sailed straight toward the monkey.

There was nothing on the old paper boat, yet the mere sight of it filled the monkey with an aura of death.

The Old Pig did not hesitate. He turned and ran. The paper boat pursued them from behind. No matter how fast he fled, the boat continued following at an unhurried pace.

“We’re finished! We can’t shake it off!”

The Old Pig was frantic, roaring at the top of his lungs. Just then, a golden radiance streamed over from the west—a compassionate Buddhist light.

“Hm? The Great Sun Tathagata?”

Ye Qiu froze for a moment. Within the image, a colossal phantom appeared in the western sky. It was none other than the image Ye Qiu himself had painted.

“What is that? Why has the paper boat disappeared?”

The monkey was stunned. It had never expected the paper boat to vanish the instant the golden light appeared. The dark, deathly sea behind them also disappeared without a trace, as though it had merely been part of a dream.

It was as if nothing had happened at all. The scene was extraordinarily strange.

“Demon monkey, where do you think you’re going?”

By the time the monkey recovered, a large number of people had already gathered in the sky, all of them there to capture it.