30: The Monkey King's trump card! The Iron Cudgel! The Art of Devouring Soldiers!
A shrill, ear-piercing scream echoed through the sea of fire.
The giant ape, transformed from the Monkey King, tumbled in the flames, its fur scorched all over, and gruesome wounds appearing on its flesh.
"Great King!"
The Monkey Demons on the distant mountaintop were greatly alarmed, and several of them immediately rushed over with weapons.
They charged at Xu Qing, attempting to relieve the pressure on the Monkey King.
The remaining Monkey Demons rushed to the edge of the sea of fire, trying to extinguish the flames.
However.
The flames formed by Spitting Flame were transformed from magic power, not ordinary fire, and could not be extinguished by normal water or earth at all!
Xu Qing ignored the Monkey Demons trying to put out the fire and turned to look at the few Monkey Demons rushing towards him.
His long tail lashed out, and the tail, containing terrifying power, directly sent them flying!
"Crack!"
A series of bone-shattering sounds rang out.
The Monkey Demons that were sent flying fell to the ground, spitting blood, seemingly beyond saving!
At the same time.
The sea of fire intensified, burning the few Monkey Demons who couldn't dodge in time to ashes.
"My children!"
An angry roar emanated from the sea of fire.
The casualties among his subordinates drove the Monkey King to extreme fury.
In the sea of fire, a pair of crimson eyes suddenly opened.
"You damn long worm, I will tear you to pieces!"
A sinister and venomous growl sounded.
Enduring the licking heat waves, the Monkey King opened its mouth and spat out a black iron rod, which appeared in its hand.
As soon as the black iron rod appeared, an extremely chilling aura suddenly erupted!
Streams of black mist surged from the iron rod, enveloping the Monkey King's body.
The black mist and flames met, immediately producing sizzling sounds.
The two canceled each other out, allowing the Monkey King to temporarily escape the burning flames!
It chanted a spell, mobilizing all the magic power throughout its body.
This was its most precious possession and its deepest secret.
It was originally meant to be used only at the most critical moment, but unexpectedly, Xu Qing forced it out today.
This long worm must die!
Xu Qing's vertical pupils slightly contracted when he saw the black iron rod.
A Magical Artifact?
Especially that black mist, it was very similar to the mist shrouding the Black Mist Region.
That chilling sensation couldn't be faked!
This monkey really has a connection with the Black Mist Region!
Thinking of this, Xu Qing's eyes turned cold.
At this moment, the Monkey King's muscles bulged like coiling Dragons, and even though blood spurted from its wounds, it still stared intently at Xu Qing.
As magic power poured in, the black iron rod floated in front of it, and dense black mist surged wildly.
"Die!"
The Monkey King's blood-red eyes fixed on Xu Qing, and with a furious roar, the black iron rod in front of it transformed into a streak of black light, appearing above Xu Qing's head in an instant!
Only then did Xu Qing realize that one end of the iron rod was extremely sharp, like a nail.
Whoosh!
The dark black light flared, and the iron rod, wrapped in black mist, shot straight towards Xu Qing's forehead!
Is this the monkey's confidence?
Xu Qing's eyes were blazing, without a trace of fear.
The moment before the iron rod was about to pierce his scalp.
"Roar!"
Xu Qing suddenly opened his gaping maw, and a profound and mysterious attractive force emanated from deep within his throat!
In an instant.
Buzz!
The iron rod suddenly began to vibrate, emitting buzzing sounds.
The Magical Artifact seemed to have a spirit, struggling desperately.
The Monkey King's face changed drastically. Ignoring its injuries, it squeezed out all its magic power and poured it into the iron rod.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The black mist swirling around the iron rod churned, as if boiling.
Xu Qing snorted coldly, and all the magic power contained within his massive body erupted.
The pulling force immediately surged!
The iron rod let out a hum and plunged directly into Xu Qing's mouth, disappearing!
Earth Fiend Divine Ability, Troop Swallowing Technique!
It could directly swallow others' weapons into the belly, erase their marks, and make them one's own!
This Divine Ability bore a striking resemblance to the Five-Colored Divine Light in myths and legends.
With a sweep of the Five-Colored Divine Light, all divine weapons and sharp blades would fall into one's hands.
However, Troop Swallowing still had limitations, closely related to the Cultivation Level of the user.
If Xu Qing were to swallow the Magic Treasure of an immortal god now, it would only lead to certain death.
The Monkey King's Cultivation Level was similar to Xu Qing's.
But in terms of magic power, it was far inferior to Xu Qing.
Swallowing its Magical Artifact was naturally easy.
The iron rod was swallowed into his belly, and with a turn of the Divine Ability, its connection with the Monkey King was instantly erased.
The Monkey King watched helplessly as its Magical Artifact was taken, its eyes wide with intense shock and disbelief.
Immediately after.
"Pfft!"
With its Magical Artifact seized, the exhausted Monkey King suffered another heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
It could no longer support its current body, its eyes filled with unwillingness and despair, and its body slowly shrank, returning to its three-foot-tall state.
With a "thud".
The Monkey King fell to the ground, barely propping itself up with its hands, staring intently at the green giant snake slowly crawling towards it.
"You... which Grotto-Heaven are you from?"
It spoke with difficulty, its voice hoarse.
"Great King!"
The Monkey Demons, seeing the Monkey King defeated, cried out in alarm and rushed over en masse.
"Don't come over!" the Monkey King roared.
After saying that, it turned to Xu Qing and said coldly, "Are you also planning to interfere in the human world?"
Xu Qing maintained a calm demeanor, but his mind began to ponder.
Grotto-Heaven?
This was a term he had never heard before.
Or that 'interfere in the human world'—he felt he had stumbled upon an extraordinary secret.
He did not answer the Monkey King's question, silently looking down at the opponent.
"Never mind, don't make things difficult for my children, they will not be your enemies!"
Seeing Xu Qing remain silent, the Monkey King turned and sternly instructed the Monkey Demons behind him.
In short, they must not seek revenge for him, otherwise, he would not rest in peace.
The Monkey King was rational before its death.
It knew that the Monkey Demons would not be Xu Qing's match, and if they sought revenge for it, the Flower and Fruit Forest would be wiped out.
Only by enduring the hatred might they survive.
"As long as they are obedient, I will not kill them."
Xu Qing spoke calmly.
Then, a wisp of flame shot out, piercing through the Monkey King's skull.
Ignoring the cries of the Monkey Demons, Xu Qing immediately used Soul Seizing to extract the Monkey King's soul.
He opened his mouth and swallowed it, beginning to peruse its memories.
Scene after scene unfolded before him.
Soon, a major discovery emerged.
The Monkey King was not a native Monkey Demon of the Flower and Fruit Forest.
It came from the depths of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains!
The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, immeasurable in extent, were mainly divided into the outer region and the deep mountains.
The deep mountains formed their own realm, called the Demon Spirit Realm!
Only cultivators of the Upper Three Ranks could establish themselves in the Demon Spirit Realm, where the thirty-six most Spirit Qi-rich blessed lands were occupied by the most powerful beings.
The Monkey King's hometown was the Purple Canopy Grotto-Heaven, one of the thirty-six Grotto-Heavens.
It obeyed a certain being in the Grotto-Heaven, came to the Flower and Fruit Forest, and began to be responsible for the matters of the black mist.
The Black Mist Region already existed before it arrived!
Every fifty years, it would go to the Black Mist Region with the iron rod and would only return after several days.
The memories from this period were also missing!