Chapter 143: The Appearance of the Monkey

The crowd burst into laughter, teasing one another. By now, any discerning eye could see that the elderly man from the Eagle Tribe lacked the backbone to truly make an enemy of the Ye family.

"Tell me, are you actually here for revenge or not? You're more long-winded than a woman! I really am Ye Tianya's son," Ye Long said, exasperated, even resorting to sarcasm in his desperation to be believed.

At these words, the old man’s face flushed red and then paled, his expression quite a sight to behold. Yet, he truly dared not touch Ye Long; he was so cowardly that he would abandon his own kin to save his skin—how could he possibly dare to avenge himself against the Ye family?

Just as the old man was at a loss for what to do, a commotion erupted from behind the crowd.

"The Heavenly King Alliance is here!"
"Move back! Those lunatics are terrifying!"

The crowd parted like a receding tide, leaving a path nearly ten feet wide.

"Old man, I can vouch for him—he really is Ye Feng’s younger brother. Didn't you want revenge? Go ahead, let me see you try!" A group of over twenty people marched toward the old man.

Leading them was Jialuo, who stood with his arms crossed over his iron sword. He remained coldly silent, his eyes scanning the old man as if sizing up prey, making the elder’s scalp prickle.

"Brother Xiao Chong, you're here! I told that old geezer I was from the Ye family, but he wouldn't believe me and didn't dare make a move," Ye Long said, hurrying toward the group and pulling Xiao Chong toward the old man. "Tell him! Tell him I really am a member of the Ye family!"

The members of the Heavenly King Alliance laughed heartily, rolling up their sleeves as if ready to swarm the old man.

"Everyone, this is a misunderstanding... truly a misunderstanding!" The old man retreated repeatedly, his eyes darting around as he searched for an escape. He was even considering fleeing outright. *Damn it,* he thought, *I just wanted to kill someone at random, and I end up provoking all these vicious monsters? If I actually laid a finger on this little fatty, they’d probably tear me to pieces on the spot.*

Jialuo said nothing; he walked straight up to Feng Huan and stared him down. "My master sent word that the junior brother should have rendezvoused with me three months ago. Where have you been all this time?"

Hearing this, the usually arrogant Feng Huan acted like a child who had done something wrong, bowing his head submissively and not daring to meet Jialuo's gaze.

"Let him go," Jialuo said, waving a hand behind him before turning to the Eagle Tribe elder. "Take this message to your chieftain: within ten days, sever all ties with the Sacred Grounds. If not, the Heavenly King Alliance will bring the war to Eagle Island."

With that, Jialuo said no more and walked forward, gazing at the pillar of spiritual light in the distance. During the year Ye Feng had been missing, Jialuo had become the de facto leader of the Heavenly King Alliance. It wasn't that he craved power, but rather that the few in the alliance who had reached the half-step Spirit Emperor stage were all even more taciturn and cold-blooded than he was, and none of them wished to concern themselves with such matters.

***

Meanwhile, in the idyllic village:

"Big Brother! You’re still meditating? Come pick mushrooms with me, please!" A little girl with two braids came bouncing toward Ye Feng, hugging his arm and shaking it incessantly.

Having lived here for a year, Ye Feng had purged all his hidden injuries; every movement he made now carried a faint sense of wind and thunder. Throughout the year, he had practiced in stillness, occasionally playing chess with the village elders. A month after he arrived, the old man who often played against him offered his first piece of advice:

"You are the only person I have been unable to see through in all these years. But from what I have gathered, you are destined for endless storms of blood and slaughter. Rather than restraining your energy, you would be better off revealing your edge. Let the path ahead be a mountain of blades or a sea of fire—face it head-on."

After hearing these words, Ye Feng sat in silence among the sea of flowers for several months. When he finally stood up, the usually pleasant village was instantly shrouded in rolling thunderclouds and howling gales.

In the days that followed, the elders would spar with Ye Feng, guiding his cultivation. It must be said that Ye Feng’s initial humility and reverence had been entirely correct; every elder here possessed a cultivation so profound it left him in awe.

Five months into his stay, Ye Feng insisted on leaving to enter the Luoyan Mountain Range, hoping to find a powerful being in the Immortal Realm to track down Qingwu. However, a hunchbacked elder had cast a divination for him, telling him that Qingwu was safe, but currently in a place Ye Feng could not yet reach.

Slowly opening his eyes, Ye Feng exhaled a long breath of stale air. He reached out to pat the little girl’s hair and walked out of the hut with her. The sky outside remained crisp and clear, the rich spiritual energy making his pores relax. The gentle breeze felt so tranquil it almost tempted one to stay forever.

Little Yu, innocent and carefree, bounded ahead to play with the local animals. Ye Feng followed behind with his hands behind his back, savoring this rare moment of peace.

*Squeak... squeak...*

Just as Little Yu was playing with a long-eared snow rabbit, the sound of a monkey’s cry echoed from the distant jungle.

"Hmm?" Ye Feng frowned, wondering if he were hallucinating. But Little Yu also frowned, mirroring him.

"Why is there a monkey crying?" she whispered.

"What’s so strange about that? Isn't it normal for monkeys to be in the jungle?" Ye Feng looked toward the forest, but seeing nothing familiar, he shrugged.

"No, Big Brother, there have never been monkeys here. I know all the animals in this place, and I’ve never heard that sound before!" The little girl hopped over to him to explain.

*Whoosh...*

Before she could finish, a silver-white shadow streaked through the air like a bolt of lightning. By the time Little Yu reacted, a silver-white monkey about a foot tall was already perched on Ye Feng’s shoulder.

"Haha... it really is you. How did you end up here?" Ye Feng plucked the monkey from his shoulder, grooming its silver fur as he asked.

"Wow... what a beautiful monkey! Big Brother, do you know it?" Seeing the monkey looking so content in Ye Feng’s arms, Little Yu cried out with delight, reaching out her small hand to touch it.

"Little... little brat..." The monkey zipped back onto Ye Feng’s shoulder, rolling its eyes at Little Yu with disdain before speaking in a human voice.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*

At that moment, streaks of light cut through the air, and over a dozen elders appeared before Ye Feng. When they caught sight of the monkey, their expressions shifted. The elder who often played chess with Ye Feng sighed, "Ah! I wanted to keep you here a while longer, but it seems that won't be possible now!"