Fang Caiying explained, "Little Junior Brother, what you just ran into wasn’t just any monkey. That golden one is called a Lightning Golden Monkey. Not only are Lightning Golden Monkeys as fast as lightning, but they’re also immensely powerful—comparable to a master at the Martial Arts Sixth Layer. On top of that, they’re quite intelligent and even understand the ways of cultivation. Oh, right, you saw the Pseudo Spirit Tree in the valley, didn’t you?"

Zhaang Ye nodded.

Fang Caiying said, "A Pseudo Spirit Tree can gather the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. If you cultivate under it, your cultivation speed will increase dramatically. This Lightning Golden Monkey is quite intelligent; it realized the benefits of cultivating under the Pseudo Spirit Tree, so it claimed the tree as its own and cultivates there every day. By entering the valley, you trespassed on its territory, so of course it attacked you."

Zhaang Ye understood. Then, puzzled, he asked, "If this Lightning Golden Monkey has taken over the Pseudo Spirit Tree for its own cultivation, why don’t you normally drive it away?"

Fang Caiying smiled. "Although this Lightning Golden Monkey has taken over the Pseudo Spirit Tree to cultivate, it also takes very good care of it. With it around, all we have to do is plant the Pseudo Spirit Trees, and the Lightning Golden Monkey will meticulously look after them for us, saving us the trouble. So, we can’t be bothered to do anything about it just absorbing a little Heaven and Earth Essence Qi."

At this, Fang Caiying said with a mischievous grin, "This Lightning Golden Monkey is very good at caring for Pseudo Spirit Trees. We cultivators often have to travel or enter closed-door cultivation. If you had a monkey like that to look after your Pseudo Spirit Tree while you were away, it would save you a lot of trouble. Little Junior Brother, you could subdue this Lightning Golden Monkey and have it care for the Pseudo Spirit Tree for you. You’d just have to give it a few perks in return."

’Subdue the Lightning Golden Monkey?’ Zhaang Ye felt a headache coming on. The monkey’s strength was comparable to a master of the Martial Arts Sixth Layer, it was as fast as lightning, and it came and went as it pleased. It was already an achievement for Zhaang Ye to just hold his own against it. Defeating and subduing it would be incredibly difficult.

’But no matter how difficult, I have to do it. Otherwise, this Lightning Golden Monkey will take over the whole valley, and I won’t even have a place to cultivate. How am I supposed to train in the future! Besides, if I can’t even take down a single monkey, how can I ever show my face again!’

After thanking Fang Caiying, Zhaang Ye picked up his Heavy Saber and returned to the valley.

Watching Zhaang Ye’s figure disappear into the valley, Fang Caiying gave a small smile and muttered to herself, "Beneath every Pseudo Spirit Tree lies a powerful Pseudo Spirit Beast. This Lightning Golden Monkey has lived for three or four hundred years, making it even older than Master. Its strength has reached the mid-stage of the Martial Arts Sixth Layer. With Little Junior Brother’s current abilities, I doubt he’ll be able to subdue it in less than a year or so."

With that, her body became like a leaf, floating up into the air on a gentle breeze and vanishing in an instant.

Inside the valley, Zhaang Ye and the Lightning Golden Monkey clashed time and time again.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

True to its name, the Lightning Golden Monkey was as fast as lightning. As it moved, it tore through the air, creating a booming sound like the roll of distant thunder.

Zhaang Ye had trained for a time in the Wind Cave back with the Cyan Mulberry Zhaang Family, so he wasn’t slow. But compared to this Lightning Golden Monkey, he was far outclassed!

The Lightning Golden Monkey’s attacks were incredibly agile; it struck once and then immediately withdrew. Each blow was packed with power, and its claws were exceptionally hard. Zhaang Ye’s Heavy Saber was incomparably sharp, yet when it struck the monkey’s claws, sparks flew as if he were striking a piece of Profound Iron.

In addition to its hard claws, the Lightning Golden Monkey’s body was also incredibly tough. Its shimmering golden fur was like a suit of armor. When Zhaang Ye finally found an opportunity to land two kicks, the monkey was completely unharmed, while his own foot flared with pain.

Fighting a monkey that was both incredibly fast and as strong as a mountain, even Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Skill, which he had cultivated to the mid-stage of the 5th Layer, didn’t seem to be enough. If not for the immense and profound power of his Mountain-Breaking Slash, he would have long since been defeated by the monkey’s long arms.

Even so, Zhaang Ye was in a wretched state. His body was covered in gashes from the Lightning Golden Monkey’s claws, and blood seeped from them constantly. If he hadn’t been so quick to react, the immensely powerful monkey would have already disemboweled him.

CLANG!

After landing a heavy blow, Zhaang Ye used the momentum to make a decisive retreat out of the valley.

The Lightning Golden Monkey possessed immense strength and seemingly endless stamina. After fighting for over two hours, Zhaang Ye, despite having cultivated his Dragon Elephant Skill to the mid-stage of the 5th Layer, still couldn’t match the monkey and was forced to retreat from the valley.

Zhaang Ye retreated from the valley and spent the night quietly recuperating.

Early the next morning, Zhaang Ye slowly rose to his feet and suddenly slashed out with his Heavy Saber. The blade cut through an empty patch of ground, and as it did, a small tornado materialized out of thin air several dozen feet away. A rock weighing tens of pounds was caught in the tornado and, with a WHOOSH, was sent flying into the sky, disappearing from sight.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Zhaang Ye slashed more than a dozen times in succession. With each slash, a tornado appeared before him. The first was small, but with every subsequent strike, the tornado grew slightly larger. The tornado from his final slash was as wide as a tabletop and emitted a faint, strange whistling as it spun, actually scraping a layer of earth from the smooth ground.

A faint smile appeared on Zhaang Ye’s face as he watched the tornado. Though his battle with the Lightning Golden Monkey had been fraught with peril, the pressure had unexpectedly pushed his Saber Technique to a new level. The Dragon Elephant Power within his body was now faintly beginning to spin.

Zhaang Ye’s Mountain-Breaking Slash emphasized two types of power: one was Dissolving Power, and the other was Rotating Power. The Rotating Power, in turn, was composed of the spin of his Body Technique, the spin of his Saber Technique, and the spin of the Dragon Elephant Power within his body.

Ever since creating the Mountain-Breaking Slash, Zhaang Ye had been unable to cultivate its Mountain-Breaking Power to the Minor Achievement Realm. The reason was that he couldn’t make his Dragon Elephant Power spin.

After entering the True Hall and internalizing the martial insights of the four Hall Masters, Zhaang Ye finally had a breakthrough. He had faintly grasped the secret to making his Dragon Elephant Power spin. When the Great Hall Master had been studying his Ancient Elephant Power, Zhaang Ye had even tried to make the Elephant Power in his body spin to devour the Great Hall Master’s Innate True Qi.

Now, under the pressure from the Lightning Golden Monkey, Zhaang Ye had executed his Mountain-Breaking Slash time and time again. With each execution of the saber technique, his comprehension of the Rotating Power deepened. He could now barely manage to fuse the spinning Dragon Elephant Power into his Mountain-Breaking Slash.

Body Technique Spin!

Saber Technique Spin!

True Qi Spin!

With the exquisite coordination of these three spinning forces, the power of Zhaang Ye’s Mountain-Breaking Slash had at least doubled! His combat strength had at least doubled! At this moment, his Mountain-Breaking Slash had finally reached the Minor Achievement Realm!

’Damn you, Lightning Golden Monkey! This time, I’m going to knock you flat!’ With his Saber Technique improved, Zhaang Ye’s confidence soared. Without hesitation, he grabbed his Heavy Saber and leaped back into the valley.

SKREEE—

Seeing Zhaang Ye invade its territory yet again, the Lightning Golden Monkey burned with fury. It let out several strange shrieks, and its body suddenly swelled to several times its normal size, becoming so tall and large that it towered a head over Zhaang Ye.

’Crap!’ Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. ’I can’t believe this monkey still had a trump card! From the looks of it, its power has at least doubled. This is going to be a real fight!’

"SKREE!"

With a short, strange shriek, the Lightning Golden Monkey suddenly lunged at Zhaang Ye. It moved with terrifying speed—the sound of its cry had yet to fade, but it was already upon him!

Zhaang Ye’s pupils shrank.

After growing larger, the Lightning Golden Monkey was even faster than the speed of sound!

BANG!

An explosive crack echoed as the Lightning Golden Monkey’s arm, now as thick as a thigh, shattered the very air and came crashing down on Zhaang Ye!

"HRAAAGH!"

Zhaang Ye roared, raising his Heavy Saber. He poured the spinning Dragon Elephant Power from his body into the blade, slashing directly at the Lightning Golden Monkey’s arm!

The Ancient Elephant Power in Zhaang Ye’s body was renowned for being tyrannical and domineering, even back in Ancient Times. Such a power could not tolerate any other force being stronger or more overbearing than itself.

Not long ago, it had taken the initiative to emerge and take a bite of the four Hall Masters’ Innate True Qi. As the master of the Ancient Elephant Power, Zhaang Ye was influenced by it to some degree. Faced with the Lightning Golden Monkey’s tyrannical blow, he didn’t even consider dodging, opting instead to meet force with force.

BOOM!

Zhaang Ye had aimed for the Lightning Golden Monkey’s arm, but its reaction speed was terrifying. Somehow, his powerful slash struck its claw instead. The Heavy Saber and the sharp talon clashed, erupting in a massive shower of sparks, like a bolt of heavenly lightning striking the earth.

From the terrifying impact, Zhaang Ye was sent flying over a hundred yards. The qi in his body was thrown into chaos, and he couldn’t stop himself from spitting up a mouthful of blood. The Lightning Golden Monkey didn’t get off easy, either. The power of Zhaang Ye’s attack sent it shrieking through the air for several hundred yards before it managed to regain its footing.

After steadying himself, Zhaang Ye looked at the Lightning Golden Monkey, and a faint smile touched his lips. The beast was incredibly powerful, but he now had an inkling of how to defeat it. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets or monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)