Zhong Yuan swung his staff, illuminating the sky. Behind him, a giant ape appeared, accompanied by a terrifying pillar of fire that extended over a hundred feet.
Standing beside Zhong Yuan, Ma Ba Tian, who was about to step forward, was startled. He instinctively retreated.
The White-Clad Scholar's eyes widened.
That aura.
Wait, who starts a fight with an ultimate move?
The White-Clad Scholar muttered to himself, not daring to take things lightly. He transformed into his true form.
Then, he slammed his snake tail onto the ground, instantly turning into a phantom and disappearing over a hundred feet away.
The power that erupted before Zhong Yuan's eyes far exceeded his expectations. He didn't want to take it head-on.
This power felt somewhat unreasonable, reminiscent of facing his elder brother.
But if it doesn't hit anyone, it's useless.
With a loud boom, the massive pillar of fire crashed onto the ground, unleashing a wave of flames outwards. Even though the ground was a shallow pool, it couldn't stop the flames from spreading.
The White-Clad Scholar leaped to avoid the flames, even more astonished. However, he didn't hesitate to attack, wielding his spear and aiming directly at Zhong Yuan in the center.
"Your fighting style... expending so much mana without certainty, using such methods isn't a good habit."
He could see Zhong Yuan's cultivation level and understood what kind of desperate move it was.
After one strike, it would be difficult to use it again for a short time. It might even weaken his strength by a third.
"Not necessarily!" Zhong Yuan snorted, standing still. He swung his staff again.
The seemingly ordinary copper staff once again rolled up a pillar of fire.
It even drew in the nearby flames that had yet to extinguish, creating a sea of fire that engulfed the White-Clad Scholar.
The White-Clad Scholar couldn't react in time and could only clash head-on with Zhong Yuan's staff.
A deafening boom echoed, and flames scattered.
The White-Clad Scholar shot back, crashing into the nearby mountains.
He took a breath to regain his composure, feeling a tingling sensation throughout his body.
Too monstrous! This is truly a Heaven's Chosen one who inherited the monkey's power! Is this the monkey's power?
No wonder they say only his elder brother can fight him head-on.
Just a little monkey, who inherited only a fraction of the power, could make him so miserable.
The White-Clad Scholar raised his head again, only to see another powerful horse demon charging from the side. The thunder whip in his hand crackled and whipped down onto him.
Ma Ba Tian's strike almost stunned the White-Clad Scholar.
So they're attacking together!
What about testing the waters? What about inviting him to join them?
"Ma Ge, you back off. White-Clad Scholar, take another hit!" Zhong Yuan stepped forward, rolling up more flames around him, and pressed down on the White-Clad Scholar.
Ma Ba Tian, with excellent timing, retreated.
"Wait!" the White-Clad Scholar shouted.
With a "boom," Zhong Yuan didn't stop and directly hit the White-Clad Scholar, who couldn't dodge or defend in time.
When the flames dissipated, the White-Clad Scholar within was weak and his body had completely flattened.
The White-Clad Scholar coughed painfully, struggling to say, "Wai... t!"
"It was my elder brother who sent me to be an inside man. I pretended to obey the Black Bear Demon and guard this mountain pass."
"My fate is not my own, and my worries are the same as yours."
The White-Clad Scholar painfully clutched his head and continued, "Monkey, the Guanyin Zen Monastery is burned down, but the Elder's vengeful spirit hasn't dissipated."
"If the root isn't pulled out, the bitter tree will remain."
"Forget what you truly desire."
The White-Clad Scholar finished his words and then vanished into ashes.
"..." You're reciting poetry.
"Who is your elder brother? Tell me before you leave!"
"Why didn't you say it earlier?" Zhong Yuan could clearly sense that the White-Clad Scholar hadn't truly died.
There was no remnant of his essence.
He had already left.
"Have you seen the three bells... ?"
"What others can't let go of, is it also what you seek?" The White-Clad Scholar didn't answer Zhong Yuan directly, but instead left two more hints.
Zhong Yuan didn't ask further.
"If the root isn't pulled out, the bitter tree will remain." The Elder's vengeful spirit hasn't dissipated. Is this a reminder of how to find Elder Jin Chi?
No wonder Guang Mou said if he died in his hands, he hoped he would give his master a message.
Zhong Yuan looked around.
"Zhong... ?" The White-Clad Scholar had completely disappeared, but the Earth God suddenly appeared again.
The Earth God, as if remembering something, introduced, "Since the Black Wind Demon returned, three giant bells have been erected in the mountains, but no one is allowed to approach them."
"Perhaps those three bells are related to the burning of the Zen Monastery?"
"What he said doesn't seem false. Little Monkey, be careful."
Zhong Yuan didn't answer, put away his copper staff, and went back to where the White-Clad Scholar had disappeared.
There was nothing left.
Ma Ba Tian also stepped forward and said, "I don't know who the elder brother this White-Clad Scholar mentioned is, but his strength seems stronger than we expected."
"But so are you, Monkey brother."
Zhong Yuan said, "I must thank you, Ma Ge, for teaching me this profound skill. And I can't use this attack style for many rounds, so I only managed to catch him off guard. And with Ma Ge's help to hold him back, we were able to do it so smoothly."
"The White-Clad Scholar mentioned that the bells are ahead, let's go take a look."
Ma Ba Tian nodded in agreement.
Zhong Yuan followed the path, but he discovered that there was also a courtyard there. It was more likely to be where Guang Zhi and Guang Mou were guarding.
But there were no other demons here, only a few young wolf demons.
These young wolf demons seemed to lack intelligence, and as soon as they saw someone approaching, they immediately charged at them.
Zhong Yuan killed them with two strikes and walked into the courtyard. Then he noticed that on a crooked tree beside the courtyard, a wolf demon corpse was hanging.
"This wolf demon's body, it didn't look weak before its death," Ma Ba Tian also noticed the wolf demon and was a little wary, wondering if it might suddenly resurrect.
"The wolf demon was arranged by the Black Bear Demon to guard this place, but it hanged itself?" Zhong Yuan was also very puzzled.
He walked slowly towards the wolf demon, but saw no movement.
It really seemed to be dead.
Zhong Yuan simply pulled out the gourd from his waist.