"I named him Yuan Er. Dasheng, my life isn't as long as yours."
"If there comes a day when I'm no longer here, let Yuan Er replace Yuan Yi, and continue to accompany you."
...
Yuan Er got hungry and started crying.
Yuan Dasheng squeezed the juice out of a peach the size of a washbasin and poured it over him. As a result, Yuan Er ended up drenched like a drowned rat.
Yuan Er fell ill.
Yuan Dasheng darted through the Immortal City like the wind at night, stormed into the medical hall, grabbed the Pharmacist by the throat, and dragged him as they sprinted and leapt. The Pharmacist's screams shattered the moonlit night's tranquility.
Yuan Er started to climb.
He clung to Yuan Dasheng's thick monkey fur, challenging the heights. Each time he fell, Yuan Dasheng's hand would catch him precisely.
Yuan Er could walk and jump.
"Uncle Monkey, they're bullying me!" Yuan Er brought Yuan Dasheng to settle the score, scaring the other kids so badly they wet themselves and cried uncontrollably.
...
Yuan Er became brave and aggressive, curious about one thing: "Uncle Monkey, who is stronger between you and my dad? Have you two ever fought? I ask Dad, but he never answers me."
Yuan Er ran up to Yuan Dasheng, his face full of admiration and excitement: "Uncle Monkey, you're so amazing, so powerful! When can I be like you?"
...
"Dad, I heard you're looking for a Demon Cultivator's cultivation technique for Uncle Monkey? Don't do that!" Yuan Er burst into the study, shouting.
Yuan Yi's face turned ashen with anger: "Shut up, who has been talking nonsense in your ear again?"
"Dad, Uncle Monkey's strength is already unrivaled. His monkeys and apes, called pets, are more accurately their owners. Those cultivators are merely feeding slaves."
"Given the current situation, if Uncle Monkey's strength soars again, things might get worse."
"By then, who does the Monkey Head Gang belong to?" Yuan Er pleaded bitterly.
A few houses away, Yuan Dasheng, who bore Demon skills, heard every word.
His brows and eyes drooped, and he no longer lay down but crouched on the ground, gazing at the ground and let out a whimper.
...
The monkeys and apes were killed, and Yuan Dasheng extended a finger, gently tapping Yuan Er's chest.
Yuan Er survived an assassination attempt, and Yuan Dasheng injured his own soul while guarding him.
During the Fire Persimmon Festival explosion, Yuan Dasheng shielded Yuan Er in his arms.
On his deathbed, Yuan Dasheng reached out one last time. In a daze, he seemed to hear the tune of "Qin Lie Goes to Battle."
...
Yuan Er died.
After a brief turmoil, an elder swiftly took power in the Monkey Head Gang and stabilized the chaos.
Yuan Dasheng also died!
This was Ning Zhuo's overwhelming feeling.
He retrieved Martial Fighting Ape·Dasheng from the tree and repaired the entire mechanism, but couldn't find any spiritual nature, as if it had never existed.
"Elder Sun's dark mark hasn't changed."
Ning Zhuo clenched his fists. Every time he wanted to take action personally and investigate Sun Lingtong's actual situation, the Buddha Heart Demon Seal in his Divine Sea would constantly tremble, emitting brilliant Buddha light.
The Buddha saves himself!
The Treasure Seal warned!
It warned Ning Zhuo that taking action would mean falling into someone else's trap.
...
Qi Bai's face turned ashen.
He looked at Sun Lingtong, finding it hard to believe that someone could withstand his soul punishment!
Sun Lingtong's hands and legs were nailed with coffin nails, pinning him to a pillar.
His brows furrowed, his eyes rolled back, and he trembled from time to time due to some spell's torment.
Despite the punishment, Qi Bai had gained nothing.
To maintain the Soul Search, the soul power and mana he served up were increasing more and more.
On a regular day, he might have already stopped torturing Sun Lingtong. After all, torturing Sun Lingtong to extract information about the Youthful Guest was just a means to recruit Han Ming.
It was a completely unprofitable deal.
But in the Tiger Fighting Qi Field, Qi Bai's desire for victory flared up exceptionally fierce.
"Perhaps his breakdown is right around the corner!" Qi Bai growled with a sinister look, "Very well, I like your stubbornness."
"Next, you'll endure ten times the previous pain!"
"Hehehe."
"Death will be a blessing for you. Unfortunately, you angered me."
Qi Bai activated a spell, striking Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong felt as if a mountain crushed him. The pain was so severe that he had the illusion of his body and soul being ground into pieces.
Boundless pain permeated every inch of his skin, yet he couldn't lose consciousness.
He was like a lone boat in a storm, falling into the endless sea whirlpool.
Past memories were like a beam of light, weak yet stubbornly glimmering in the boundless darkness.
All were about Ning Zhuo.
"Others can control the black market. Why can't we?"
"Interesting. Let's unite as brothers and take over the black market!"
"Little Zhuo, don't reveal your true face. Use the Iron Han Armor to disguise yourself. I'm already well-known, so it doesn't matter."
Ning Zhuo smiled and changed his address: "From now on, I'll just call you Elder Sun!"
"Elder, the goods are wrong."
"Elder Sun, I'm right behind you."
"Elder, charge!"
"Elder Sun, don't worry, I'll always follow you."
The pain overwhelmed Sun Lingtong like an abyss.
He opened his eyes, the once bright eyes now bloodshot.
Sun Lingtong smiled tragically, knowing the Empty Seal's effect was limited and he couldn't hold on much longer.
He defiantly activated his last resort!
Qi Bai keenly noticed the anomaly and was shocked: "What? You would destroy your soul!"
Sun Lingtong triggered the Empty Seal, attacking his own soul to resist Qi Bai's Soul Search.
Qi Bai's eyes widened in shock and doubt: "Who is the Youthful Guest to you? You'd rather have your soul shattered to protect him?!"
"Are you really from the Bukong Sect? Are you still a Demon Cultivator?!"
"Could it be, he's your fellow disciple? The Holy Son of Bukong Sect?"
"Hehehe." Sun Lingtong grinned, making his final, laborious laugh, "He is not a fellow disciple. He is my brother."
"Brother?" Qi Bai was even more puzzled. "Brothers are meant to be betrayed! For a bit of information, you wouldn't even save your life? What do you really want?"
Sun Lingtong lowered his eyelids; he was too weak. His voice was very faint: "I, I only want to prove... he didn't follow... the wrong person."
Qi Bai listened intently, only to hear these words.
"Incomprehensible!" Qi Bai was furious to the extreme.
In his entire life, he had never been so angry!
He felt deeply violated.
He completely lost his patience.
At this moment, he forgot about recruiting Han Ming and the Youthful Guest.
He drew his fingers together like a sword and thrust fiercely towards Sun Lingtong's forehead.
This strike would surely pierce Sun Lingtong's forehead, leading to his actual death!
Boom!!!
An explosion suddenly occurred.
Qi Bai sneered, disregarding it, determined to kill Sun Lingtong.
But in the next moment, array patterns appeared, firmly protecting Sun Lingtong and blocking the deadly strike.
The fierce explosion's impact hit, accompanied by surging flames.
The explosion sent Qi Bai flying and then engulfed him.
In contrast, Sun Lingtong, protected by the array patterns, was transported out of the room.
The next moment, he landed beside an elderly man.
This elderly man was incredibly frail, with a weathered face, black and blue eye bags, and wrinkles so deep they could trap insects.
His hair was dark and messy, spreading from the top of his head to his shoulders and down to his feet, resembling a large black cloak.
He relied on a cane, his waist deeply hunched like a shrimp.
He called himself the Youthful Guest.
He was Sun Lingtong's... brother!