Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 996: The Ape God

Chapter 996: The Ape God
"…"

Outside the door, Yuan Zhuo paused and said, "Since Junior Brother Chu isn't here, I suppose I'll come back another time?"

"Sure," Chu Liang replied.

The door swung open with a heavy thud.

Chu Liang looked up at the square-faced man who stepped inside and smiled. "Senior Brother Yuan Zhuo, It's been a while."

"This isn't the real Yuan Zhuo. It's me." The voice behind that familiar face sounded older than usual and with a tone of irritation. "You figured it out, didn't you?"

"Senior Brother Yuan never leaves the Hall of Conservation," Chu Liang said with a smile.

Once Chu Liang learned that Yuan Zhuo was one of the monastery overseer's three thousand clones, many of his strange behaviors started to make sense. His astonishing intellect, his lack of emotional response, and the fact that he never stepped outside the Hall of Conservation all had an explanation now.

Technically, Yuan Zhuo had his own independent personality. However, everything he saw and heard would eventually be transmitted back to the Divine Ruins Monastery, and that alone made Chu Liang feel a little wary.

At the moment, it was clear that the one speaking wasn’t Yuan Zhuo at all. It was Bai Wuxiang, remotely controlling his body.

"I heard everything went smoothly. You took Deity Pan's Bone and used it to kill the Noble Dharma?" Bai Wuxiang asked, sitting cross-legged as he locked eyes with Chu Liang.

"Heheh." Chu Liang let out an awkward laugh. "Thanks to you, things went fairly well. But I’ve got some good news and some bad news."

"What are they?" Bai Wuxiang asked.

"Obviously, the good news is that the Noble Dharma has been slain. The great threat to the nine provinces has been taken care of," Chu Liang said.

All the immortal sects agreed with this. In the past, the Noble Dharma had managed to return even after his body was destroyed and his soul scattered, and that had only been possible because the Tree of Longevity still existed.

But this time, the Tree of Longevity had been cut down. Without it, there was no reason to believe he could ever come back to life again.

Most importantly, even the Celestial Cosmic Ring and the East Sea Chrono Wheel had been forced out of him. If he were still alive, he would never have let go of such legendary treasures.

And so, there was almost no doubt that the Noble Dharma had died.

"And the bad news is…" Chu Liang hesitated before saying, "Deity Pan's Bone… was lost."

Bai Wuxiang raised his brows in disbelief. With his square face, his entire expression seemed to look like the character "囧."

His eyes flashed with a look that clearly said, Are you joking with me?

"I know this sounds ridiculous, but..." Chu Liang spoke slowly, "after the Noble Dharma was killed, something unexpected happened. Deity Pan's Bone vanished. Since you hold the other half of Omniscience, maybe you could try divining its whereabouts."

"No need," Bai Wuxiang said with a shake of his head. "I already used Omniscience to look into it when you didn't report back. That artifact… vanished from the world. That's why I came in a rush to ask you."

His tone sounded calm, almost as if it didn't matter, but Chu Liang could still hear the faint tremor he was trying to suppress.

"My condolences," Chu Liang said in a comforting tone. "In a battle of this scale, some losses are bound to happen."

Bai Wuxiang suddenly yanked him by the collar and shouted hysterically, "Have you ever seen a battle end without a single death and only the loss of a legendary artifact?!

"Who gave you the guts to meddle with the Divine Ruins Monastery’s treasure? Has no one ever chopped you to pieces before? Do you really think I’ll let you off just because you might marry my granddaughter? If you can’t give me a proper explanation, then this time next year will mark the anniversary of your death!"

"Wait, wait, wait…" Chu Liang quickly grabbed the old man's hands, trying to calm him down. "I’ll compensate you, alright? I’ll pay up!"

"Deity Pan’s Bone is one of the most precious treasures in this world. What could you possibly offer in exchange?" Bai Wuxiang shouted. "Do you think you can compensate?"

It was no wonder he had lost his composure. After all, Chu Liang had once used that very artifact to secure the freedom of the entire Jiang Family, which included Bai Wuxiang’s own daughter and granddaughter. The fact that Bai Wuxiang had agreed to the exchange in the first place showed just how much he valued the artifact.

It was a legendary artifact worthy of being passed down for generations.

And yet, after being lent to Chu Liang just once, it was gone.

If Chu Liang had simply hidden it somewhere, Bai Wuxiang would not have been this furious. He would have just forced him to hand it over. But the artifact had truly vanished without a trace. Not even Omniscience could find it. Deity Pan's Bone was now lost to the world.

And that was what frightened him the most.

Even if he killed Chu Liang, it would not bring the artifact back.

Chu Liang pondered for a moment, then cleared his throat and said, "If I said I wanted to repay you with money, would you think I'm being terribly shallow?"

…

Rumble rumble, rumble~

At the peak of the Celestial King Sect, clouds swirled and winds howled. Though it was broad daylight, stars gleamed in the sky, and among them, the Morning Star shone the brightest. It hung high like a celestial wheel, its radiance nearly matching that of the sun.

"It's close! I can feel it! It's almost done!" The Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor's voice trembled with excitement.

He continued, "The Divine Phoenix and the Noble Dharma have both died, and Grand Ancestor Wuchao has retreated along with his sea demons. With the spiritual energy drained from the West Sea, South Sea, and Northern Regions, I can feel the boundaries of the Great Dao growing weaker by the day.

He raised both hands toward the Morning Star shining in the sky and declared, "I will construct a high platform for the formation, light three thousand six hundred eternal lamps, and keep them burning for eighty-one days without end. I will gather the power of the stars to aid the ascension of the White Star!"

"Once the formation is complete, I shall merge with the Great Dao of the White Star and ascend to the ninth realm!"

Throughout his life, he had held fast to one principle: endurance.

When the Heavenly Star Sect split apart and the Great Dao of the White Star weakened, he endured!

When he stood alone and powerless, pushed around and bullied by people, he endured!

When his strength began to grow and jealous men schemed against him, he endured!

He endured until he reached the eighth realm. At its peak, he withdrew into the mountains to cultivate in secret, not daring to let even a whisper of his breakthrough spread. Even after stepping onto the brink of ascension, he stayed hidden, afraid that wicked hands might scheme against him.

But now, he had finally glimpsed the first light of dawn!

If he included the Ancient Nameless Buddha, then he would become the fourth human Hallowed One in the world. He didn’t dare compare himself to Hallowed Li, but he thought he could at least compete with Hallowed Yang.

The cultivators of the Celestial King Sect behind him all smiled with joy. "We'll begin the preparations at once."

"That Baize from Mount Shu is still far from reaching the ninth realm," Wenren Yue said. "Congratulations, Grand Ancestor, on your upcoming ascension as the fourth human Hallowed One. May I ask what name you plan to take for your title as a Hallowed One?"

The Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor paused for a moment, then said, "My family name is Gou[1]"

At once, the entire group fell silent.

After a brief pause, the Heavenly Strategist cleared his throat and said, "I’ll go check on the preparation of the formation materials."

"I’ll go keep an eye on the Heavenly Strategist," Wenren Yue quickly added.

The experts of the Heavenly Star faction quietly dispersed, leaving only Enlightened Wulou standing to the side.

Only then did the Grand Ancestor lower his voice and ask, "Actually, one of my ancestors was an ape demon. Do you think it would be acceptable for me to use that as the basis for my Hallowed title?"

"But if that’s the case, you wouldn’t be able to use a human name," Enlightened Wulou replied. "You’d have to call yourself… the Ape God."

The Heavenly Star Grand Ancestor fell silent. After a moment of thought, he flicked his sleeve and said seriously, "It’s far too early to bring that up. Don’t assume anything is certain just yet."

"The Star-Gathering Formation might not succeed. There are still many trials ahead," he said as he looked toward the distant west. "Noble Baize’s divine abilities are vast. She has already begun separating the realms of yin and yang."

"Without the help of the Dao Master of Profound Darkness, it would be nearly impossible for her to send all beings and things with yin characteristics down to the netherworld," Enlightened Wulou said. "I suspect her true plan is to create a new realm between yin and yang, one that gathers all the ghosts from the human world into it. But that would take an enormous amount of time and effort. Even for someone like her, there’s no telling how long it might take to complete."

He raised his head as he continued, "Still, the Mount Shu Sect has many strange and brilliant members. You really can’t judge them by common sense."