Unfortunately for them, the conversation between the two Monkey Kings was overheard by a snake that had quietly slithered inside.

Hiding in the shadows, Tu Xiao’an couldn’t help but ponder. ’The White Demon King is really going all out against me, huh? He even issued a Demon King Slaying Order. He’s really giving me a lot of face.’

’It seems he’s spared no expense. He’s willing to leave no stone unturned just to find and kill me.’

In truth, the White Demon King didn’t need to go to such great lengths to find Tu Xiao’an. After his Demon Transformation, Tu Xiao’an would have naturally come knocking on his door to settle their scores.

’Two Demon Kings?’

A cold glint flashed in Tu Xiao’an’s eyes. The moment he thought of the other Demon King, his temper flared.

’The Gray Demon King, right?’ That damned rat had caused him no small amount of trouble. Tu Xiao’an hadn’t suffered much at the hands of the White Demon King, but he had nearly died from that damned rat’s sneak attack.

Now that the Gray Demon King knew he wasn’t dead, he had also issued a Demon King Slaying Order for him.

’What’s the deal? Did I dig up your ancestral graves or something?’

Ever since Tu Xiao’an had made his debut as a snake, he had never suffered such a major setback. He had come dangerously close to being completely annihilated.

’You damned rat, just you wait for this Snake King. Once I complete my Demon Transformation, you’ll be the first one I deal with.’

When it came to hatred, Tu Xiao’an despised the ambushing rat even more.

’But that’s a matter for another time.’

Just then, Tu Xiao’an saw the Crimson Sun Giant Ape walk out of the cave dwelling. He glanced at the Ape King inside and chuckled to himself. ’The person who can subdue you hasn’t been born yet? Wrong. He was once far away, but now he’s right before your eyes.’

Done with the theatrics, Tu Xiao’an flew out openly. As a Snake King who had attained his station, he couldn’t just slither out from the ground—it was beneath his status now.

The Ape King was lost in thought when he suddenly saw an incomparably, brilliantly colored snake hovering strangely about thirty feet away. He shot to his feet in utter shock.

"Ape King, we meet again," the hovering snake said, speaking in a human voice.

The moment the Ape King saw the snake, his expression darkened. The very air around him seemed to boil as he ground out, "You’re wanted by two Demon Kings, yet you still dare to appear before me. Don’t think that just because you’ve achieved your station, I can’t do anything to you!"

The White Demon King was now extremely sensitive when it came to snakes, but the Ape King was even more so. His hatred for them was bone-deep. If not for the fear that a moment of impatience could ruin his grander plans, he would have gladly taken this snake down with him.

"No need to be so hostile. We can talk this out," Tu Xiao’an, the uninvited guest, said, clearly unwelcome.

"You snake! You and my Monkey Race share a blood feud so deep we cannot live under the same sky! I hadn’t come looking for you, yet you deliver yourself to my doorstep. You’re courting death!" The Ape King now felt he had no choice but to kill the snake.

The snake had come right to him.

’I’ve seen arrogance, but never anything like this! Does he really think our Monkey Race has no one to stand up to him?’

Tu Xiao’an knew that what he had done to the Monkey Race was unscrupulous, but what could be done? It was fate.

All he could say was that his destiny was deeply intertwined with the Monkey Race.

’Conscious Insight.’

"DING... Ape King. Rank 3 Super Demon Spirit. Level 34. Pseudo Demon King Level. Supreme Monarch of the Ape lineage."

The new data on the ape before him appeared in Tu Xiao’an’s mind, and he immediately broke into a smile.

’What a fine ape. Only Level 34, yet his combat power has already reached the Pseudo Demon King Level.’ Tu Xiao’an was quite pleased.

Ordinary Demon Spirits were naturally beneath Tu Xiao’an’s notice and weren’t worthy of being his Battle Companion, but this Ape King was a complete exception.

A Super Class bloodline and superior combat strength—he was in a completely different league from the likes of the Bull Demon King.

If this ape became his Battle Companion, his future would be limitless. He was a future Demon King, no doubt about it.

After all, Tu Xiao’an had managed to forcibly cultivate an ordinary Demon Spirit like the Bull Demon King into a Pseudo Demon King. Imagine what he could do with a naturally gifted ape like this.

"Ape King, I know I brought great disaster to your Monkey Race and caused you heavy losses. I’ve come this time to offer compensation."

Tu Xiao’an spoke as he hovered in the air, his entire body glowing brilliantly.

’Hmph. "Heavy losses" doesn’t even begin to cover it. Our beautiful homeland was destroyed, and who knows how many of my people were killed.’

"Even if you died a hundred times over, you damned snake, it would not be enough to compensate for the losses of my Monkey Race," the Ape King seethed, his voice dripping with killing intent.

Tu Xiao’an remained perfectly composed. "Killing me certainly won’t compensate for your losses. But I have a better way."

Hmm???

The Ape King had no idea what this snake was plotting.

"Submit to me. Acknowledge me as your master, and in the future, you will become a true Demon King, and your Monkey Race will rise again."

The brilliantly glowing snake hovering in the air spoke with pride. His very bearing exuded a domineering, disdainful aura, radiating a divine presence that demanded the submission of all things.

As soon as these words were spoken, the world seemed to freeze. The temperature in the cave dwelling plummeted, as if shocked by such a shameless boast.

The Ape King was momentarily stunned. Then, his lean face first turned deathly pale, then flushed a deep, furious crimson. A mountain-like wave of killing intent crashed down upon the hovering snake.

"You wretched Snake Demon! To trespass on my territory and dare to insult me so! I will stew you into soup and drink you down!"

The Ape King, with his human-like body and monkey face, flew into a thunderous rage. A vast and staggering amount of Demon Qi erupted from him, twisting the very space around him.

Immediately after, the Ape King’s pair of golden eyes, like the legendary Eyes of Golden Flame, blazed with a terrifying power. A single glance could numb a person’s entire body and make them shiver as if frozen.

SHOOOM...!

A deafening sonic boom erupted as a terrifying beam of golden light shot forth. An overwhelming killing intent surged as the golden light, like a gale-force wind, blasted toward the hovering snake.

’His gaze can materialize and kill without form.’

Seeing this, Tu Xiao’an was slightly surprised. This ape actually possessed an ultimate technique for killing with his eyes. As the golden light swept over, the cave filled with a grim, murderous air. Tu Xiao’an’s Snake Gaze narrowed, turning completely blood-red as a stunning flash of light shot out from them as well.

The moment the two materialized gazes made contact—BOOM! A heaven-shaking explosion erupted. The ground quaked, the mountains shook, and the entire cave seemed on the verge of collapse as countless hard rocks rained down.

"Today, I will make you pay a terrible price!"

How could a Monkey King of his generation, a being of such immense pride, not be enraged after being humiliated by a mere snake?

RUMBLE...

The space before him seemed to explode as a Heaven Shocking Power blazed forth. The Ape King’s Demon Qi boiled as he formed a claw with one hand and lunged toward the hovering Tu Xiao’an with unrivaled ferocity.

’Consciousness Power, suppress!’

After attaining his station, Tu Xiao’an’s Consciousness Power had grown stronger by an unknown magnitude. A formless power, like the legendary Five Finger Mountain, descended upon the Ape King. Tu Xiao’an shouted, "The strong rule as kings, the weak serve as slaves! In the face of absolute power, this Snake King honors you by allowing you to submit!"

Instantly, the Ape King’s lightning-fast movements slowed, as if an immense weight was pressing down and binding him.

"Hmph. Ridiculous. You think that just because you’ve attained your station, you’re stronger than me?"

The Ape King raged, his aura surging like a magnificent rainbow. The Demon Qi around him swelled, kicking up gale-force winds that sent sand and stones flying.

In a flash, the Ape King appeared just a few feet from the hovering snake, his movements not greatly restricted.

’Not bad, not bad at all. As expected of someone who reached the Pseudo Demon King Level at Level 34.’ Tu Xiao’an’s current Consciousness Power was strong enough to crush a normal Demon Spirit to death without even touching it.

For this Ape King to still be able to move with relative freedom was truly remarkable.

’Ice Seal!’

The Ice Frost Power within Tu Xiao’an’s body surged, invading the Ape King’s body through the formless Consciousness Power.

In an instant, a deep blue light flickered across the Ape King’s body. The cave became freezing cold. In just a few seconds, a lifelike ice sculpture of the ape with his human-like body and monkey face appeared.

In the past, Tu Xiao’an had used his Ice Frost Power to instantly freeze the countless apes on Monkey Mountain, slaughtering them en masse to obtain a vast amount of Evolutionary Energy and Cross the Tribulation in a single leap.

Now, his Ice Frost Power was countless times stronger. He was no longer the same as he was back then.

"Your ice cannot hold me!"

A deep, furious roar echoed from within the lifelike ice sculpture.

Hmm?

CRACK!

A shower of shattered ice flew everywhere as the Ape King burst free. His Demon Qi was even more potent than before, and his golden eyes shone so brightly they looked as if they might spew flames.

"Seal him again!"

Tu Xiao’an uttered the command, and a deep blue aura once again enveloped the Ape King.

"You—"

The Ape King’s golden eyes widened in fury. He had only managed to utter a single word before he was once again turned into a lifelike ice sculpture.

"Ape King, if you can cross this ten-foot distance and reach my side, I’ll consider it your victory. I will be at your mercy."

Tu Xiao’an gazed coldly at the ice sculpture, like a Supreme Divine Spirit delivering words of utter dominance and contempt.

Having attained his new station, even Tu Xiao’an himself didn’t know just how powerful he had become.

A sense of invincible confidence welled up within him. It was a strange and wonderful feeling.

"The height of arrogance!"

CRACK!

Driven mad with rage, the Ape King shattered the ice once more. Just as he was about to attack the hovering snake, a detached voice reached his ears.

"Continue the seal."

Ugh???

The Ape King’s Demon Qi surged to the heavens, but he was powerless to use it. He couldn’t even stretch his body before he was turned into an ice sculpture yet again.

And so it went. Whenever the Ape King broke free, he was instantly frozen again. It was an endless cycle. A full ten minutes passed, and he hadn’t taken a single step forward, frozen and re-frozen an untold number of times.

"Damned snake, do you dare use a different attack?! No matter how many times you seal me with your ice, you can’t actually hurt me!"

The Ape King shouted the moment he broke free for the last time, his voice several octaves higher and his words flying out at top speed, as if terrified he’d be frozen again before he could finish his sentence.

It was humiliating. Fucking humiliating. To have all this power and be completely unable to use it.

The Elemental Attribute Powers of Heaven and Earth were said to be the most terrifying forces in the world. The Ape King didn’t know how terrifying they were, but he now had a profound understanding of just how infuriating they could be.

’Fuck, this is so annoying!’