"Dad, I heard you're looking for a demon cultivator technique for Monkey Uncle? Please don't do this!" Yuan Er stormed into the study, shouting.
Yuan Yi's face turned ashen as he angrily retorted, "Shut up! Who's been filling your ears with nonsense?"
"Dad, Monkey Uncle's strength is already uncontrollable. Those monkeys he has, calling them pets is putting it mildly; they are the real masters. The cultivators are nothing more than slaves responsible for feeding them."
"Given the current situation, if Monkey Uncle's power increases even more, things will become dire."
"At that point, who would the Monkey Head Gang belong to?" Yuan Er desperately continued to persuade.
Yuan Yi's lips trembled slightly, falling into a deathly silence.
The foundation of the Monkey Head Gang was his life's work, built through relentless effort.
It's easy to conquer a territory but challenging to keep it.
He was old, and even in his youth, he could barely maintain the balance within the gang.
Yuan Dasheng, being a Magma Demon Ape, possessed overwhelming strength.
In battles, it was an absolute advantage. But once the Monkey Head Gang had established its dominance, with no other factions posing a threat, this advantage turned into an internal concern.
Yuan Er was his only bloodline, and the Monkey Head Gang was to be passed down to him. But could he really manage it?
Yuan Yi had confidence in himself and was certain of his relationship with Yuan Dasheng. However, he seriously doubted the relationship between Yuan Er and Yuan Dasheng.
Yuan Yi pondered for an entire day and night. Finally, with a pale face, he summoned Yuan Er and instructed, "You must always treat your Monkey Uncle well. Show him even more respect than you do me. Understand?"
"Understood!" Yuan Er immediately promised, secretly overjoyed.
Filled with guilt, Yuan Er indeed treated Monkey Uncle with more respect than before.
All the members of the gang also showed Yuan Dasheng more respect.
When Yuan Er became the gang leader, his position was awkward. He had to rely on Yuan Dasheng to command respect, but his constant dependence on Yuan Dasheng prevented him from truly earning it.
Yuan Er knelt beside the bed, looking up at Yuan Dasheng.
"Monkey Uncle, I owe you so much. I know, I remember it all in my heart."
"But the emissary is right, keeping you alive in this state is the greatest insult to you!"
"I don't want to do this, because I respect you! I admire you!"
"I believe, if my father knew, he would agree with what I'm doing."
"I'm sure he would understand me... Our enemies are too powerful. Even the entire Monkey Head Gang can't take them on."
"Since that's the case, I will join them!"
"My father always said, 'A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm.'
"I'm doing this, bearing this humiliation, to preserve our foundation."
"Monkey Uncle, you must understand my intentions!"
"The Monkey Head Gang is the result of a lifetime of effort by you and my father; it can't be destroyed in my hands."
"I want to pass it on, to my son and grandson."
"With this growth, someday we will establish the Yuan Family as a cultivator family and become the fifth power in Persimmon Fire City."
"Monkey Uncle, please understand me, don't blame me! You will understand me, won't you?"
Yuan Er kept chanting in his heart.
Suddenly, Yuan Dasheng slowly opened his eyes.
Yuan Er's body shook as if struck by lightning.
Yuan Dasheng's eyes were a lifeless gray, muddy and dull.
He couldn't see anything or hear, but he still had some sense of smell. He smelled the familiar scent on Yuan Er.
Yuan Dasheng tried to get up, but his body was as heavy as a mountain. He tried to lift his hand but felt very little.
Ultimately, he could only slowly stretch out his finger, pointing at Yuan Er.
Startled, Yuan Er fell back onto the ground.
The next moment, Yuan Dasheng's finger slowly lowered, and there was no breathing left.
He was gone.
Yuan Er sat there, stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud sobs, tears flowing uncontrollably.
He knelt there, crawling on his knees to reach Yuan Dasheng's corpse, and cried out, "Monkey Uncle! Monkey Uncle!"
He voiced the words his father couldn't say before his death, "Monkey Uncle, I'm sorry. Monkey Uncle, I'm so sorry..."
At some point, Ning Zhuo walked out of the small study.
He stood behind Yuan Er, watching as Yuan Dasheng lived through his final moments.
Finally, Yuan Dasheng was dead.
But at the moment of success, Ning Zhuo's joy was far less intense than he had imagined.
Ning Zhuo felt conflicted.
Yuan Dasheng ended up in this situation entirely because of Ning Zhuo. Yet, until his death, he never knew of Ning Zhuo's existence. He didn't even know how he had incurred Ning Zhuo's enmity.
And Ning Zhuo?
Ning Zhuo didn't actually want to be enemies with Yuan Dasheng. Before Yuan Dasheng stormed the Immortal Palace, they had never even met.
However!
Fate made the Magma Fairy Palace a stage and placed Ning Zhuo and Yuan Dasheng on a death-bound narrow path. One had to die, or the other had to perish!
No second choice.
"If I had a choice, Yuan Dasheng, I would rather be your comrade!"
"What a pity..."
With regret, Ning Zhuo stepped forward to handle Yuan Dasheng's corpse.
Frightened, Yuan Er instinctively reached out to stop him.
But Ning Zhuo kicked him aside, finally revealing the disdain and anger in his heart as he muttered, "Move aside!"
Even though Yuan Er had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, what use was such a disposition?
When Ning Zhuo saw Yuan Dasheng in the bedroom, he confirmed that Yuan Dasheng hadn't yet taken the Late Autumn Life-Preserving Pill.
Zhu Xuanji had clearly handed the pill to Yuan Er, but the latter never gave it to Yuan Dasheng.
Was it because he had no time?
He had plenty of time!
From just that, Ning Zhuo deduced Yuan Er's true intentions, which was why he feigned asking for Yuan Dasheng's opinion. As expected, Yuan Er knelt from the beginning, only calling out in his heart without truly speaking.
"Master Yuan Er, please mourn." Ning Zhuo placed the ape's body into his storage bag and prepared to leave.
Yuan Er, kneeling on the ground, grasped Ning Zhuo's leg, looking up at him. "When can I see my Monkey Uncle again?"
"Once the production schedule is finalized, I'll notify you. Don't worry, it will be soon." Ning Zhuo reassured, pulling his leg free and leaving without looking back.
He left Yuan Er alone in the empty bedroom, as still as a statue.
With a calm demeanor, Ning Zhuo walked towards the exit of the Monkey Head Gang's base, overhearing the returning members discussing among themselves.
"All the Fire Persimmon Forest has been harvested, but the Black Shadow Demon Cultivator didn't appear!"
"Wasn't he said to be hiding in the Fire Persimmon Forest, trapped by the formation?"
"How could he just disappear?"
"Yes, I was looking forward to a hunt."
"You should have seen how upset Lord Fei Si looked at the time!"
"Now, every Golden Core Cultivator from each family is searching throughout the Fire Persimmon Forest."
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhuo's heart tightened. "Damn it!"
With his sharp mind, he immediately realized he was once again in danger.
After leaving the Monkey Head Gang, he hurriedly quickened his pace, racing against time, heading straight to the flying disk workshop.