623: Chapter 34 Monkey Goblin

On the way to the Ancient Vine Forest.

Seeing Jing Tian carrying two bunches of bananas, Xu Maoshan couldn't help but feel curious: "Boss, aren't we looking for the earth spirit pearl? Why did you bring so many bananas?"

Jing Tian replied: "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. I've asked around, and they say there's a monkey demon in this Ancient Vine Forest; the earth spirit pearl is very likely with it. But it comes and goes like a shadow, and the forest is so big it'll be hard to find."

"Monkeys like bananas, so by bringing two bunches, I might be able to lure the monkey demon out."

Xu Maoshan finally understood, then gave Jing Tian a thumbs-up with a simple smile: "You're still the smart one, Boss."

"Of course." Jing Tian accepted the praise with a beaming smile.

Just then, the group arrived at the entrance of the Ancient Vine Forest.

Xu Changqing put away the map and warned: "Going further in is the Ancient Vine Forest. It might be dangerous, everyone be careful."

Jing Tian didn't care at all: "We haven't even gone in yet, what danger could there be? Watch me."

After saying that, he carried the two bunches of bananas and skipped inside, shouting loudly at the same time: "Hey, little monkey, come out and eat bananas! Little monkey..."

Before he could finish his shout, a large, furry, dark hand suddenly reached out and snatched a bunch of bananas from Jing Tian's hand.

Jing Tian was stunned for a moment, then immediately looked in that direction, finding a gorilla as large as a small hill standing before him.

Xu Changqing, Tang Xuejian, Hong Kui, and Lan Kui were also startled, the same question popping into their minds simultaneously.

This is a little monkey?

Looking at the gorilla's hill-like body, Jing Tian unconsciously swallowed hard and took two steps back.

The gorilla glanced at the group, opened its mouth to swallow the snatched bananas, chewed a couple of times, and then aimed its mouth at the group, letting out a rapid-fire burst.

Banana peels sprayed out like bullets toward everyone.

Jing Tian, standing at the very front, was the first to be hit.

Seeing he couldn't dodge in time, he instinctively covered his face with his hands, and was left wobbling from the impact of the banana peels.

Xu Changqing pinched a hand seal to cast a spell, intending to raise a protective shield.

Meng Li raised his hand slightly.

The earth and gravel in front of the group immediately sprayed upward, forming a reverse waterfall that blocked all the banana peels.

Gen Word: Earth Waterfall!

Once the banana peel attack ended, Jing Tian shook the peels off his body. Looking at the dissipating Earth Waterfall behind him, his mouth twitched: "Elder Brother Meng, you missed me."

Meng Li smiled: "Didn't you say 'watch you'? I thought you could handle it."

Jing Tian: "..."

Then, Meng Li pointed at the gorilla and said: "You've been Cultivating for a while now; it's time to test the results. Go on, see if you can win back some face."

Jing Tian gritted his teeth and nodded: "Fine, today I'll show this monkey demon the prowess of the great hero Jing Tian!"

After speaking, he pulled the sword from his back and charged at the gorilla.

"Monkey demon, take this!"

Seeing Jing Tian being so reckless, Xu Changqing frowned slightly.

Xu Maoshan cheered loudly for Jing Tian: "Boss, go for it!"

Tang Xuejian looked like she was ready for a good show.

Lan Kui showed a worried expression.

A faint red glow appeared in Hong Kui's pupils.

Meng Li took all of this in and said lazily: "Don't worry, this monkey demon has no intention of hurting anyone. Otherwise, it wouldn't have just spat banana peels earlier."

Xu Changqing's brow relaxed.

Lan Kui's worry lessened slightly.

The red glow in Hong Kui's pupils faded away.

However, in the next second, Jing Tian came flying back, landing right at Meng Li's feet.

Meng Li was stunned, feeling greatly surprised.

He remembered in the original plot, Jing Tian had beaten this gorilla—the monkey demon Jingjing—back to its original form in just a few moves.

Why was it different now?

After a moment's thought, Meng Li realized—the Demon Sword!

In the original plot, Jing Tian relied on the power of the Demon Sword to suppress Jingjing and knock him back to his original form.

Later, killing the Ancient Vine Demon and repelling Chonglou in Fengdu also relied on the Demon Sword.

One could say the Demon Sword was a major cheat for Jing Tian's combat power.

Now, this cheat was with him, Meng Li.

Without the cheat and with only a short time of Cultivation, Jing Tian naturally couldn't be as invincible in a fight as he was in the original story.

"Still needs more practice."

Meng Li sighed softly, then pointed at the rising Jing Tian.

A Kim Gang Talisman was generated out of thin air and landed on Jing Tian.

Looking at the golden light on his body and feeling the power surging within, Jing Tian was first stunned, then overjoyed. Holding the sword with both hands, he unleashed a 'Cleaving Mount Hua' strike at Jingjing.

"Little monkey, take my sword!"

Seeing that his Aura was different from before, Jingjing's heart shivered, and he hurriedly crossed his arms in front of him to defend.

The gorilla form Jingjing took had fur like steel needles; when tightly interlaced, it became steel armor.

Jing Tian's sword struck down but couldn't break the defense, so he had to compete in strength instead.

With the boost from the Kim Gang Talisman, he felt as if he had endless strength in his body, confident he could win.

And indeed, no accidents occurred. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Jingjing ran out of strength. His body couldn't withstand the pressure, and he quickly shrank back to his original form.

Just then, the effect of the Kim Gang Talisman began to fade.

A sense of weakness washed over him. Jing Tian hurriedly retreated, his body swaying; he only stood firm by leaning on his sword against the ground.

Xu Maoshan quickly stepped forward to support him, asking with concern: "Boss, are you okay?"

Lan Kui followed up: "Brother, what's wrong?"

Jing Tian waved his hand: "I'm fine, just a bit weak. It's just the side effect of the Talisman."

Saying that, he turned to look at Meng Li, puzzled: "Elder Brother Meng, why was the duration so short this time?"

Meng Li raised his hand to produce a Rejuvenation Talisman and cast it on him, replying casually: "The Pili Hall Disciples you dealt with last time were just ordinary people. This time, your opponent is a monkey demon with at least several hundred years of Dao cultivation. Can it be the same?"

Jing Tian understood, and soon recovered under the boost of the Rejuvenation Talisman.

Afterward, Tang Xuejian said: "He doesn't seem as weak as last time."

Meng Li explained: "That's because the Cultivation has had some effect. The reason the Kim Gang Talisman boost has side effects is because his physique isn't strong enough to bear the Talisman's power. As his Cultivation succeeds and his physique strengthens, the side effects will naturally decrease."

Hearing this, Xu Maoshan seemed to think of something and asked in confusion: "Grandmaster Meng, I remember you also gave me a Talisman last time."

"Why didn't I end up like the Boss afterward?"

Meng Li answered: "The Talisman I gave you last time was for speed. The Talisman's power stayed on the surface of your body to lift you, rather than being injected into your body, so naturally there were no side effects."

"Besides, his build and yours aren't in the same weight class; there's no comparison."

After speaking, he turned to look at Jingjing, who had transformed from a gorilla into a small, short monkey.

Jing Tian ran over, placed his sword against Jingjing's neck, and spoke with a victor's posture: "Little monkey, you lost!"

"Hand over the earth spirit pearl, and I'll spare your life."

Jingjing tilted his head and curled his lip: "earth spirit pearl? No chance! It was snatched away by the Ancient Vine Demon long ago. You aren't the first group to come for the earth spirit pearl, but so far, it's still with the Ancient Vine Demon."

"We aren't the first? Who else came for the earth spirit pearl?"

...