“Good heavens!”

Gu Xichen plunged heavily into a stream, rolling his eyes as he hurriedly gulped down several mouthfuls of water before collapsing, gasping for breath, by the bank.

The grim-faced Yang Jian and the three Kongsang brothers also lay panting by the clear water, desperately taking drinks.

Once their breathing steadied, Yang Jian and the three Kongsang brothers sprang up, forming a Four Symbols Array to completely surround the Monkey. The Monkey cried out, backing away while clutching the black staff that he had already begun to refine slightly with his True Fire. Yang Jian sneered at the Monkey and shouted, "Great Sage, you don't need that staff. A wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him; you’d best throw that thing as far away as possible!"

The Monkey rolled his eyes, glaring fiercely at Yang Jian and the three Kongsang brothers. He spoke in a strange, mocking tone, "Oh? The foremost God of War in the Three Realms and the three Spirit Officials guarding the Tongming Palace, what’s gotten into you today? Have you all gone chicken? Tsk tsk, afraid of a mere trio of scuttling insects at the peak of Golden Immortal cultivation? If word of this gets out, how will you ever show your faces again?" Yang Jian and the three Kongsang brothers flushed, simultaneously letting out a cold snort. After a long pause, Yang Jian finally offered a wry, helpless smile. "Well, we still need our faces."

Taking a deep breath, Yang Jian declared proudly, "If my true body were here, even a mere Demon—the Mo Ta Dragon Gen Clan—could be annihilated with the flip of a hand. But as things stand now, we must understand our own situation." He chuckled wryly, scratching his chin helplessly. "In this current state, we can’t afford to worry so much about appearances!"

Just as the Monkey was about to retort, Gu Wuchen stood up, wheezing, and snorted coldly, "Enough. I really have no intention of returning this staff! Heh heh, if that Mo Ta Dragon Gen wants to amuse himself, I’ll let him have his fun!"

With a sudden surge of resolve, amidst the Monkey’s triumphant laughter, Gu Xichen yelled fiercely, "Let's go back to Earth—no, we're going to Planet Luokun! I want to see whose restrictions are stronger: those left by the Ancient Star Lords, or the cultivation of this Mo Ta Dragon Gen!"

Luokun Star! Yang Jian, the Monkey, and the Kongsang brothers’ complexions all shifted instantly.

After a while, the Monkey let out a strange laugh. "What kind of restriction did that fellow Luokun leave behind? Heh heh, I, Old Sun, have sparred with the Nine Luminaries Star Lords before!"

Yang Jian jibed mockingly at the Monkey. He said in a strange voice, "Oh? Is the Great Sage unaware of where the Nine Luminaries Star Lords were stalling back then?"

The Monkey’s face reddened, and in a fit of rage, he brought his staff crashing down on Yang Jian’s head. Yang Jian parried the blow with his blade. Seeing the two clash, the three Kongsang brothers immediately grinned broadly and formed a Three Talents formation, surrounding both of them, clearly ready to take them both on.

Gu Xichen felt a headache coming on. He let out a helpless, wry smile, forced to activate his Profound Yellow Primordial Body cultivation technique to rein in the five individuals whose every action seemed to be driven by pure instinct rather than their brains. He wondered to himself why all the newcomers around him lately had been so arrogant yet so obviously blessed with brawn over brains.

Just as he was about to properly lecture the five of them on the principle that unity is strength, a sudden pressure descended from above. Mo Ta Dragon Gen, accompanied by over twenty descendants, swooped down haphazardly, charging toward them with vicious intent.

Having fled for over a year, Mo Ta Dragon Gen’s cultivation had been rapidly recovering, nearing the realm of Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Furthermore, the descendants he had summoned back were increasing in number and strength. Rumor had it that Mo Ta Dragon Gen’s direct lineage had yet to arrive; these grandsons and great-grandsons currently present had the strongest among them reaching the terrifying realm of the twelfth stage of Golden Immortal.

With a helpless moan, Gu Wuchen, Yang Jian, and the three Kongsang brothers all turned to the pale-faced Monkey and yelled, "Pull out your hair, Monkey!"

The Monkey touched his arm, then let out a strange, helpless roar to the heavens. He leaped up in a fury, plucked a large handful of golden fur from his body, crammed it into his mouth, chewed it thoroughly, and then spat it out. A whirlwind shot forth from the Monkey’s mouth, and countless figures—identical in appearance and bearing the exact same aura as Gu Xichen and the others—shot out rapidly within the gale. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands of figures scattered in all directions, employing various escape arts.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the six of Gu Xichen’s group hastily activated their escape arts, wildly choosing a random direction and fleeing as well.

The Monkey’s technique of creating external avatars was truly unfathomably mystical. Not only did the auras of the manifested figures perfectly match those of Gu Xichen and the others, but even the black staffs held by the avatars created from his fur bore the exact same aura as the real black staff.

Mo Ta Dragon Gen watched as yet another swarm of hundreds of thousands of people scattered in every direction. He roared to the heavens in fury and had no choice but to leave it to fate, choosing one group of figures to pursue. He constantly comforted himself, perhaps this time he would choose correctly and perhaps lock onto the real Gu Xichen and the others.

Poor Mo Ta Dragon Gen had been chasing them for over a year. Despite his speed being more than ten times faster than Gu Xichen’s group, he had been tricked by the Monkey’s trick at least thirty times. Each time, he was unlucky enough to tail a group of hair-formed avatars for a while. Only after forty-nine full cycles of time (seven times seven shichen) would all the hair avatars dissipate, allowing him to finally track the aura of his black staff to locate Gu Xichen and the others.

Forty-nine shichen was enough time for Gu Xichen’s group to escape across nearly a hundred star domains.

This time, Mo Ta Dragon Gen had clearly chosen incorrectly again. He and his twenty-odd descendants shrieked and slaughtered nearly a hundred groups of fleeing figures, only to find that every single one was an avatar made of fur. Mo Ta Dragon Gen was driven nearly insane with rage. He decided to slaughter every living thing on every planet in his path, swallowing all the creatures to replenish his own reserves.

Mo Ta Dragon Gen’s direct descendants were no better. As Mo Ta Dragon Gen consumed living beings to restore his energy, they went about burning, killing, plundering, and openly sowing their seed of life upon any creature that caught their eye, maximizing the numbers of Mo Ta Dragon Gen’s bloodline.

Burning, killing, and robbing—Gu Xichen fled toward the direction of the Solar System while Mo Ta Dragon Gen and his descendants rampaged along the way. Alas, thousands of civilizations, large and small, were devastated along their path...

Fleeing continuously, by the time the Monkey had plucked all the fur from his two thighs, revealing two patches of smooth, white flesh, Planet Luokun finally appeared in their sight. Just as Gu Xichen had seen it years ago, Planet Luokun was still shrouded in black mist, covered in boundless mystery.

Tens of thousands of miles behind them, Mo Ta Dragon Gen, whose six eyes were now blood-red as if soaked in chili water, shrieked as he charged forward. Along the way, he could feel the connection between the black staff and himself growing increasingly fragile; the aura he sensed from the black weapon was fading. The thought that his innate sacred artifact was about to be refined by the Monkey terrified him to his core, driving him almost mad with rage.

The Monkey proudly shook his two dazzling white thighs, happily waving the black staff in his hand.

Using the mental cultivation method secretly taught to him by Patriarch Subodhi, forcibly refining a captured innate artifact was effortless for him. It was like using a steel blade to chop wood—even a towering piece of wood was merely wood before the steel. The Monkey had spent over a year and finally refined more than half of the black staff. He could see that with a little more effort, he could achieve complete success.

Once he fully refined the staff until it merged with his own spirit, he could forcefully integrate his originally self-forged staff into it. By then, the staff’s spirituality would be sufficient, and its weight would be adequate for the Monkey’s use. It would still fall short of his old Mourning Staff, but it would be passable. Ideally, if he could kill Mo Ta Dragon Gen and integrate his soul into the staff, the weapon would be perfect.

Yang Jian could not stand the Monkey’s smug and arrogant demeanor. He feigned great surprise, pointing at the Monkey as if he had just noticed, "Oh my, Great Sage, your snow-white, beautiful flesh truly makes countless women in the world envious. It is indeed as pure as the moon and as dazzling as freshly fallen snow!"

The Monkey’s face turned as red as his backside, and he glared furiously at Yang Jian. The Monkey plucked a hair, blew on it, and manifested a set of Hundred Blossoms Scaled Golden Armor that completely enveloped his body.

Taking a deep breath, Yang Jian gazed at the Monkey affectionately and sighed, "Great Sage, no matter how many layers of clothing you wear, no matter how many barriers there are, that white flesh of yours is deeply imprinted upon my primordial spirit! In the Three Realms henceforth..."

The Monkey raised the black staff and took a step toward Yang Jian, his eyes blazing.

Yang Jian snapped his mouth shut, turned toward Gu Xichen, and asked, "Exalted One, can he still be pursued?"

Gu Xichen gave a strange, slight smile, glared at the black-mist-shrouded Planet Luokun, and said coldly, "Go! Be careful!"

He pointed a finger, and a cloud of water vapor rose, swiftly enveloping the group. It transformed into a greenish ripple of water that shot toward Planet Luokun, quickly vanishing into the planet’s erratic black fog. Mo Ta Dragon Gen and his retinue were still hundreds of miles behind; seeing Gu Xichen rush into the black mist, he did not hesitate and immediately plunged in at full speed.

The moment they entered Planet Luokun, Gu Xichen’s cloud light dissolved. The group was caught off guard and tumbled from the sky.

Yang Jian and the others were seasoned veterans; what kind of treacherous restrictions in the Three Realms had they not seen? As soon as Gu Xichen’s water cloud vanished, the others rapidly formed hand seals, forcibly stopping their descent in mid-air. The three Kongsang brothers grabbed Gu Xichen, carefully shielding him in the center. The Monkey frowned. "Strange, is this the old trick of that fellow Luokun? Why are the restrictions here so bizarre?"

Yang Jian frowned. "Is Planet Luokun always like this? Hmm, the magical power is being depleted too quickly; we need to land immediately."

The three Kongsang brothers simultaneously punched forward. A strange seal flashed, sending a wave of golden wind sweeping nearly a hundred miles ahead. Large swaths of black mist shattered under the golden wind. The brothers were just starting to smile proudly when countless sharp shrieks suddenly echoed through the void. Tens of thousands of black beams shot out from the pitch-black mountain ranges, descending like a deluge to cover the group.

Gu Xichen snorted and unleashed his Flowing Waterfall Sleeve, sending forth a water wave spanning a hundred miles, which surged up from the ground with a thunderous roar, resembling a massive hand striking forward. However, the black beams possessed immense power; the water wave, several miles thick, was pierced through, and the black lights continued to rush toward them like arrows. The Monkey laughed loudly and nodded. "It is indeed Luokun’s power!"

He flicked his black staff, stirring up a whirlwind and striking down. With a deafening crash, intense light flashed everywhere. The Monkey was blasted back dozens of miles, and the mass of black light was shattered. Violent winds erupted everywhere, and boundless black mist instantly reappeared out of nowhere.

An enraged roar came from behind as Mo Ta Dragon Gen and his twenty-odd descendants charged over, filled with killing intent. The Monkey, knocked back by the black light, accidentally landed directly in front of Mo Ta Dragon Gen and was nearly swallowed by the demon’s wide-open maw.

With a startled cry, the Monkey violently stomped hard on the nostril of Mo Ta Dragon Gen’s central head, using the force to launch himself toward the others.

But there were those faster than the Monkey. Two diminutive female descendants, bearing two pairs of black wings on their backs, cried out sharply. They leaned forward, transforming into two bolts of black lightning that shot toward the Monkey. These two female descendants clearly held high status; as soon as they moved, the other descendants of Mo Ta Dragon Gen who were preparing to attack ceased, watching the Monkey with sneering faces.

A rapid series of impacts sounded continuously. The two descendants easily caught up to the Monkey, their four slender, powerful legs tightly wrapping around his waist. Their hands began hammering his upper body like pneumatic drills. This bizarre attack terrified the Monkey, who had been a lifelong virgin, causing him to shriek, nearly losing the staff in his hand.

The Monkey, who had never feared anyone or admitted defeat in his life, screamed and fled clumsily in this direction, dragging the two women along with him.

Gu Xichen’s mouth twitched watching the scene. Yang Jian and the Kongsang brothers were laughing so hard their stomachs ached. Seeing their schadenfreude, they certainly weren’t inclined to help the Monkey. After all, the Monkey was tough; although the two women were beating him until his nose bled, his life wasn't in danger. Thus, Yang Jian and the Kongsangs were happy to watch the Monkey suffer. "Old Sun won't stoop to arguing with you women! Get off me, get off!"

The Monkey furiously tried to tear the two women clinging to him, but they stuck to him like toffee, their four fists continuously slamming toward his vital spots. The physical bodies of Mo Ta Dragon Gen’s descendants were as robust as the Monkey’s at this stage; the Monkey’s current body had not yet been tempered in Lao Jun’s Furnace, nor had he eaten the Flat Peaches or Elixirs. After a round of brutal beating, he was actually spitting blood.

Gu Xichen was alarmed. He berated Yang Jian and the three Kongsang brothers, then charged toward the Monkey, enveloping himself in his form.

Shaking his fists, Gu Xichen channeled black and yellow streams of energy into them, turning them into two colossal dragons that struck directly at the two women’s heads. The Profound Yellow Indestructible Body technique, further enhanced by the divine ability 'Three Styles of Apex Heaven,' struck out, actually drawing forth a convergence of black and yellow light from the surrounding void. Each punch seemed to drain everything from the space spanning thousands of miles, even sucking away space and time itself, transforming into a vast, majestic, unparalleled terrestrial force that hammered down upon the two women.

Yang Jian and the three Kongsang brothers’ eyes lit up, and they shouted in unison, "Three Styles of Apex Heaven! What magnificent punching force!"

The three Kongsang brothers simultaneously unleashed their long halberd, long spear, and long sword, carving out three streaks of golden light. Kongsang Ri laughed heartily, "True Lord Erlang, you must understand that your Nine Revolutions Mystic Art is not the supreme power in the Three Realms! The true foremost body-tempering divine skill in the Three Realms still belongs to the Exalted One’s Profound Yellow Indestructible Body!"

Yang Jian sharply rebuked, "Enough nonsense, let’s see true skill in our fists!" He swung his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade, and the air filled with countless tiny, dazzling, cold glints of light attacking the two women—it was like a hurricane whipping up hundreds of thousands of blade fragments flying everywhere, turning the surrounding void into a world of swords.

Facing Gu Xichen’s full-force strike from the Three Styles of Apex Heaven, the two women were actually startled by the unfathomable aura contained within the punch. They cried out, stomped their feet, released the Monkey, and turned to flee. But running was the worst mistake—against an overbearing technique like the Three Styles of Apex Heaven, resistance offered a slim chance of survival, but losing one’s nerve and fleeing meant certain death.

As they turned to flee, the women’s spirits and morale plummeted. Their minds felt empty, and illusions suddenly appeared before their eyes, as if a king, wearing a dragon robe, a crown, and emitting a terrifying aura that surpassed the Three Realms, was standing before them, holding a golden imperial seal the size of ten thousand li and bringing it crashing down upon them.

The Three Styles of Apex Heaven, coupled with the 'Seal of Sentient Beings' which specialized in attacking the primordial spirit and soul, caused Gu Xichen to manifest a trace of the heavenly emperor's aura of dominion and governance over the myriad beings of the heavens that Emperor Haotian uniquely possessed back then. This transcended the scope of divine abilities and magic; it carried a hint of heavenly law and regulation. The two fists struck heavily against the backs of the two women, whose minds had been seized by the Three Styles of Apex Heaven, leaving them stunned, incapable of resisting or fleeing.

These two direct descendants of Mo Ta Dragon Gen, both at the twelfth stage of Golden Immortal, opened their mouths, spraying out two streams of foul, stench-filled black blood. The two women were struck so hard that true fire erupted from their seven orifices, and their souls, merged with their flesh, were almost blasted out of their bodies.

The two women saw stars flashing before their eyes, and agony coursed through them. All their strength seemed shattered by that single punch. Before they could react, Yang Jian’s countless blade shadows descended upon them. Although Yang Jian’s magical power had not recovered, the blade intent and momentum contained within the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade were the same as ever—chillingly sharp, as if capable of splitting the sky in half.

Mo Ta Dragon Gen, rushing toward them from behind, nearly cried out loud. These two women were the highest-cultivated among the direct descendants he had summoned, and they were his two most beloved offspring—the youngest pair of daughters born to Mo Ta Dragon Gen and his consort!

But right before Mo Ta Dragon Gen’s eyes, the two women, injured by Yang Jian’s blade intent, had their black wings ripped from their bodies amid a shower of blood mist.

With piercing screams, the two women spun around to glare furiously at Yang Jian. Then came several crisp sounds—the weapons of the three Kongsang brothers flashed with blinding speed, passing through the bodies of the two women dozens of times, piercing dozens of transparent holes in them.

Yang Jian’s Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade was merely manifested through his divine ability; since his power level hadn't recovered, the weapon's destructive force was limited.

However, the weapons held by the three Kongsang brothers were their original divine artifacts from back then—ancient treasures of great origin. Though not quite reaching the level of Innate treasures, their actual lethality and attached destructive power were far more malicious and ferocious than ordinary innate supreme treasures.

The two female descendants continuously spewed vast amounts of black blood, as if a great river had burst its banks inside them. In the blink of an eye, tens of vats of black blood poured out.

The two women shrieked. The vitality of Mo Ta Dragon Gen's lineage was extraordinarily strong. Despite their severe physical damage, the two women still struggled to escape toward Mo Ta Dragon Gen. They even managed to turn around and spit a stream of black fire at the three Kongsang brothers, causing them to cry out in agony as large patches of flesh on their upper bodies were burned to ash, and even their exposed bones turned black. The three Kongsang brothers turned and fled, frantically slapping at the flames on their bodies as they ran.

Kongsang Yue cursed sharply, "Indeed, the most venomous heart belongs to a woman! This flame is vicious; even the true fire used for alchemy in Lao Jun's Furnace is not this malicious!"

Gu Xichen took a deep breath, grabbed the Monkey—who was dizzy and somewhat disoriented from being beaten by the two female descendants—and also turned to flee. Mo Ta Dragon Gen roared in anger, opened his huge mouth, and lunged to swallow Gu Xichen, who was now within arm's reach.

It was slower said than done. Just as Gu Xichen was about to be devoured by the straining Mo Ta Dragon Gen, a beam of black-red light spanning thousands of li suddenly shot out from the distance.

A cold, merciless voice carrying overwhelming killing intent echoed from afar: "Three-headed insect, are you pursuing my disciple? You seek death!"

A giant body, a hundred li tall, streaked forward, leaving a trail of phantoms behind it. It moved as if driven by a drunken, out-of-control vehicle, wobbling drunkenly as it slammed headfirst into the intersection of Mo Ta Dragon Gen’s three long horns. Dong. Crack!

A piercing scream rang out. Despite Mo Ta Dragon Gen's physical toughness, this sudden newcomer smashed two of his horns clean off! The newcomer then swiftly grasped Mo Ta Dragon Gen’s long neck, tying him up, and like a mischievous child tossing a rag doll, slammed him heavily onto the ground! "***! The moment I could move, I saw you bullying my disciple! Have my disciple been bullied by you lot all these years?"

A crushing blow obliterated the pitch-black mountain into ash as Moben-Longgen was slammed into it. Moben-Longgen let out a hysterical shriek; his spine snapped with a crack. The agonizing pain caused viscous tears to stream simultaneously from all six of his large eyes. "Who are you? I swear by the name of Moben-Longgen! This venerable one will have revenge upon you all!"

The silhouette staggered, appearing slightly unsteady as if drunk. He then seized the heavy form of Moben-Longgen and wildly thrashed him about, shaking loose every bone in his body until they were a complete mess. Even though Moben-Longgen had recovered to the peak strength of the Eighteenth Grade Golden Immortal, he possessed not the slightest power to resist this man. Relying solely on the strength of his physical body, this man made the power of an Eighteenth Grade Golden Immortal look like a joke. "Moben-Longgen? Never heard of him. What kind of bird-man crawled out from where?" "Hmph, seeing as you vermin are decently formed and possess some measure of imposing presence! If you're willing to become this venerable one's mount..."

"If you are unwilling to be my mount, hehe, this venerable one hasn't consumed flesh in decades! I'll first slice off your two little orbs, roast them lightly, and have them with my drink!" Standing stunned in the distance, Gu Wuchen froze. Yang Jian and the others, equally wide-eyed, looked at Gu Wuchen with suspicion.

After a long moment, the monkey held in Gu Wuchen's grip finally grunted unintelligibly, "Luo Kuang! Star Lord? Is that his punchable face? Strange, strange. He’s your child’s master? Tsk, no, that can’t be right; the techniques you used have nothing to do with that Luo Kun of his!"

Over there, the more than twenty blood descendants of Moben-Longgen were charging forward to rescue their progenitor. The figure, towering a hundred li high, snorted coldly. With a casual backhand, it lashed out—like a steel fly-swatter hitting an insect—and the twenty-odd descendants were simultaneously struck. A chorus of snapping bones echoed as they were slapped thousands of li away, spitting blood and collapsing onto the ground, unable to move.

Gu Xiechen gasped sharply, urgently asking, "May I dare ask, Senior?"

The colossal figure, still holding the shattered Moben-Longgen, turned around and laughed heartily towards Gu Xiechen. "Good disciple, your master has merely inhabited a borrowed skin. Why don't you recognize me?"

Moben-Longgen raised his head and spat a mouthful of black viscous fluid onto the silhouette. The fluid’s corrosive power was so potent that it caused wisps of white smoke to rise from the dark, sooty armor worn by the man. Enraged, the man casually seized Moben-Longgen’s left long neck and bit down hard. With a squeak, Moben-Longgen’s body convulsed violently as massive amounts of blood were drawn out—

Moben-Longgen howled in despair, feeling the aura of death. He roared madly, "I am willing to be your mount! I am willing!" The man casually tossed Moben-Longgen aside and brought down a heavy foot, driving three of his heads into the earth.

With a cold snort, the man roared in anger, "Is being my mount so humiliating? I am the current Master of the Nine Hells Dao. It is your honor that I have chosen you!"

Gu Xiechen was momentarily stunned. He dropped the monkey and shot towards the man in a flash. With a resounding thud, Gu Wuchen knelt heavily before the man. The sheer force of his kneeling caused the surrounding mountain ranges to tremble. "Master! Is it truly you? You didn't die? The silhouette paused, then replied with words that left Gu Wuchen speechless. "What kind of talk is that... well, when was this master ever a living person?" Gu Xiechen fell silent, then suddenly sprang up, lunging towards the man’s face and roaring with laughter.

The man tilted his face up and laughed just as loudly. His laughter was so immense that it blew Gu Xiechen a long distance away, nearly scattering all the bones in his body. The current Master of the Nine Hells Dao, the Corpse Emperor, had resurrected in the mortal world, occupying the flesh body of Luo Kun this very day. In the distance, two other towering bodies, each a hundred li high, staggered and lurched towards them. From afar, soaring battle cries reached the heavens. "Ancestors of the Three Purities above, you old zombie, your disciple has arrived? Tsk, your disciple is quite the..." "Ah, those little sniveling novices in our sect, they actually forgot their suffering Master was still here? Gu Fei will have to whip their behinds!" True Man Baishui and True Man Hanchun slowly dragged their cumbersome bodies, meandering forward too.

On the ground, Moben-Longgen was stealthily trying to slip away from beneath the Corpse Emperor’s feet.

The Corpse Emperor cheerfully greeted the two old Daoists, then casually pinched Moben-Longgen’s right head. With a snap, he twisted the occipital bone backward, following it with a heavy stomp right between Moben-Longgen’s legs, causing a crack in one of his vital areas, as if some tough, spherical object had suddenly exploded. Moben-Longgen let out a mournful, desperate howl and finally bowed his head obediently. Completely out of drafts... I have to start writing diligently starting tomorrow, sigh!!! Clean slate, sparkling clean, not a single word of manuscript left! Pressure is mounting, I must work hard! What if I catch a cold or get sick? Then I’ll have to halt updates!