Firmament Sword

”Who is so bold as to cause trouble in my domain?”

With a furious roar, a golden figure shot up from within the dust and smoke, somersaulting through the air to land before Xu Luo and the others. It glared angrily at the intruders.

The newcomer was a golden monkey. Its long, golden fur was smooth and lustrous, glowing with a brilliant, gold-like light. Its eyes were like lightning, with bolts of electricity flashing continuously within its pupils.

The golden monkey held a Big Iron Rod, its expression furious.

It first spotted Xiaojin and snarled viciously, baring a mouthful of sharp, terrifying fangs. Its voice was shrill as it said, ”Junior of the Golden Winged Jiao Clan, you’ve got some nerve!”

”Monkey King, please calm your anger! This junior did not mean to provoke you. It was this friend of mine who, not knowing the rules here, accidentally disturbed Your Majesty. I implore you, Your Majesty, to be magnanimous and forgive my friend this once?” the Golden Flood Dragon pleaded, bowing repeatedly with a sincere attitude.

”Doesn’t know the rules? Every mountain and river in this place belongs to me! How dare a puny human act so insolently here? I have always been petty. Why should I be magnanimous?” the golden monkey’s voice was sharp and merciless.

The Golden Flood Dragon begged bitterly, ”Please, Your Majesty the Monkey King, forgive my friend this once. He truly didn’t mean to...”

”Then have him stick out his shins and let me hit them a couple of times with my rod to vent my anger!” the golden monkey said, its face a mask of magnanimity. It jutted out its thunder-god lips as if it had made a huge concession.

”This...” The Golden Flood Dragon didn’t dare make that decision for him and looked at Xu Luo in a difficult position.

”Is it one of the Eighteen Kings?” Xu Luo asked the Golden Flood Dragon, a puzzled look on his face.

The Golden Flood Dragon, its serpentine face twisted in misery, nodded.

The golden monkey on the other side grew displeased. It roared, ”You human brat! Are you looking down on me?”

At this, Xu Luo smiled. ”Since we’ve run into each other, let’s have a fight.”

”Huh?” The golden monkey was slightly startled, then burst into wild laughter. ”HAHAHAHA, you’re an interesting one, human brat. I’m almost reluctant to kill you...”

Suddenly, the golden monkey’s smile vanished. Its tone turned chillingly cold as it said, ”However, I’m still going to kill you! A puny human... daring to offend me!”

VMM!

The golden monkey violently swung its Big Iron Rod, bringing it straight down on Xu Luo’s head.

The heavy sound of the rod cleaving the air testified to its weight. If this strike landed on a large mountain, it could probably shear off half the peak.

If it hit a person, they would likely be smashed directly into a meat paste!

Xu Luo executed the Shaking Light Step, his figure flashing as he met the golden monkey’s iron rod. He slid his Beidou Sword along the rod, aiming to slice directly at the golden monkey’s hand!

”Good one, kid!” The golden monkey was extremely fast. It horizontally blocked with its iron rod, meeting Xu Luo’s Beidou Sword in a direct clash.

An enormous clang of metal on metal immediately rang out.

CLANG!

Xu Luo and the golden monkey were both knocked back two steps.

The golden monkey’s electric eyes lit up. It shouted, ”Not bad! Not bad! You’ve got some strength, kid. Take another blow from me!”

With that, the golden monkey swung its Big Iron Rod and brought it down on Xu Luo’s forehead with incredible dominance.

Xu Luo held his Beidou Sword, circulated his Shadow Shaking Heart Method, and executed the Shaking Light Step, directly infusing the power of a Shaking Light Burst into the Beidou Sword.

RUMBLE!

The moment the Beidou Sword collided with the golden monkey’s Big Iron Rod, an earth-shattering explosion of sound erupted.

The golden monkey hadn’t expected the human to unleash such terrifying power. It was thrown back several hundred steps, then roared with glee, ”Exhilarating! Too exhilarating! It’s been a long time since anyone could give me such a satisfying fight! Kid, again!”

’This guy’s a battle maniac!’

Xu Luo thought to himself, also a little surprised. ’A Shaking Light Burst at the Saint Realm level didn’t even injure this monkey? Is this the strength of an expert in the Divine Domain?’

According to Xiaojin, this was just one of the ”Kings” among the ”One Emperor, Two Emperors, Eighteen Kings.” If he were to encounter the Infinite Saint Emperor and the other Infinite Saint Emperor, he probably wouldn’t be their match.

’As for the one Emperor...’

Xu Luo’s heart trembled slightly. ’The Divine Domain... it truly is a place where experts gather!’

The man and the monkey went back and forth, exchanging blows. In the blink of an eye, they had fought for over a hundred rounds without a clear winner.

The golden monkey was panting but laughing heartily. ”Satisfying! Truly satisfying! A puny human can actually make me use my full strength! Kid, I’m not willing to kill you now!”

From the golden monkey’s tone, Xu Luo could hear the change in its attitude. Before, it had called itself ”this king,” acting high and mighty. Now, it was calling itself ”me,” which sounded much more familiar.

”Monkey, your strength is also incredible. I can’t manage to injure you either!” Xu Luo was also sweating profusely. He had to admit, this monkey’s combat power was immense.

”How come I’ve never seen or heard of you in these Vast Mountains?” the golden monkey asked while continuing to fight Xu Luo.

”I’m an outsider, just passing through,” Xu Luo said. He could be honest with the Golden Flood Dragon because it was already Master Mao’s servant. But with this golden monkey before him, he couldn’t tell if it was friend or foe.

Besides, it was best not to let too many people know about such things.

The words the Su Family Ancestor had spoken when ascending to the Divine Domain still remained in Xu Luo’s mind. Therefore, upon entering the Divine Domain, he needed to act with caution in all matters.

”No more fighting, no more fighting!” the golden monkey said, withdrawing its iron rod and leaping to the side. ”I’m convinced! I can’t beat you. Among the Eighteen Kings, your strength definitely ranks near the top!”

At this, the Golden Flood Dragon explained from the side, ”His Majesty the Monkey King’s combat power is one of the best among the Eighteen Kings!”

”Right, where are you all headed?” The golden monkey seemed to have a very straightforward personality. When it wanted to fight, it was hot-tempered and merciless. But when it took a liking to someone, it could be just as frank and open, not at all awkward or scheming.

”I want to learn more about the outside world. We stumbled in here by accident,” Xu Luo said with a small smile.

”The outside world...” The golden monkey’s expression turned grave, and its flashing electric eyes grew profound. It murmured, ”The outside world... is filled with crisis. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that every step is a potential death trap.”

”Even with your strength, is it difficult to get by out there?” Xu Luo frowned slightly.

”It’s not that bad,” the golden monkey laughed. ”It’s just that these Vast Mountains are somewhat incompatible with the outside world. We don’t like the outside, and the experts from outside... don’t like us. So, while we are wary of the outside world and are unwilling to leave lightly, by the same token, the experts of the outside world don’t dare to easily set foot in our Vast Mountains!”

”So... have you been outside before?” Xu Luo asked.

The golden monkey nodded. ”When I was young, I went out to explore. Xi Hezhou is too big; one could never visit every corner in a lifetime. Besides, that place... is your human world!”

As it spoke, the golden monkey grabbed Xu Luo’s hand and said, ”We wouldn’t have known each other if we hadn’t fought! I may not have a good impression of humans, but you’re different from those hypocritical ones. Come to my home, we can drink and chat!”

Xu Luo nodded, called over Master Mao and the Golden Flood Dragon, and followed the golden monkey to its cave residence.

On the way, the Golden Flood Dragon sent a telepathic message to Xu Luo: ”You’re truly amazing. The Monkey King isn’t so easy to talk to. Even when facing the other Kings, he’s always been extremely arrogant and dismissive. I’ve never heard of anyone being invited to his home as a guest.”

The golden monkey’s residence was right below this stone mountain. Xu Luo couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. ’No wonder this monkey was so furious,’ he thought. ’I blasted the area right above his home. Anyone in his shoes would have been unwilling to let it go.’

However, after their great battle, there was a sense of mutual respect between them. Thus, the matter of the cave’s roof being blasted was lightly passed over, with neither of them mentioning it again.

The golden monkey retrieved some fine wine from his cave and said with a laugh, ”This is Monkey Wine brewed by my children. Life in the mountains is harsh, we don’t have many good things. I hope you don’t mind.”

Xu Luo glanced at it. The wine was golden-yellow and emitted an enticing aroma. It was like congealed fat; when poured into a cup and gently swirled, it moved slowly, thick and viscous.

”Good wine!” Xu Luo praised.

Afterward, the golden monkey brought out many rare and precious fruits. Even the Golden Flood Dragon’s eyes lit up. There were many fruits it had only heard of but never seen, let alone eaten.

”This is the Jade Exquisite Fruit! Eating it can increase one’s Spiritual Power! I’d only ever heard of it before, this is the first time I’ve seen it!” the Golden Flood Dragon said in pleasant surprise, pointing to a platter of jade-green fruits the golden monkey had brought out.

”This is the Longyan Cherry, which can enhance one’s qi and blood after eating... Heavens... this is a Chaos Peach! They say there is only one Chaos Peach Tree in all of the Vast Mountains... And a Yellow Jade Mango! This is truly... an eye-opening experience!”

The Golden Flood Dragon was acting like an ignorant country bumpkin, exclaiming loudly from the side.

Although the golden monkey said it was nothing, just a small token, its flashing electric eyes held a hint of pride. At the same time, it was quite pleased with the knowledgeable Golden Flood Dragon, feeling this little snake had a bright future.

Xu Luo toasted the Golden Monkey King. The two exchanged cups and drank happily.

After three rounds of drinks, the Golden Monkey King looked at Xu Luo and said, ”Though I don’t know where you came from, brother, I can sense that you are extraordinary. Even in the outside world, outstanding young humans like you are rare. You should be able to be compared with those so-called Heavenly Prodigies!”

Xu Luo asked, ”Monkey King, have you ever heard of the Soul Scripture?”

”Hm?” The Golden Monkey King’s cup paused just before it reached his lips. His hand trembled slightly, then returned to normal. He looked at Xu Luo. ”Brother, why do you ask about this?”

Xu Luo sighed. ”To be honest with you, brother, this younger brother has a great need for this Soul Scripture!”

The Golden Monkey King narrowed his eyes and sized up Xu Luo for a few moments. Convinced he wasn’t lying, he let out a soft sigh. ”Do you have someone by your side with a damaged Divine Soul, brother?”

Xu Luo nodded.

The Golden Monkey King shook his head and sighed. ”Don’t even think about it. It’s impossible for you to obtain it!”

Xu Luo, however, wasn’t the least bit disappointed. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised. ”Could it be, brother, that you’ve heard of this Soul Scripture?”

”Heard of it is an understatement...” A complicated look appeared in the Golden Monkey King’s flashing electric eyes. He murmured, ”That is the Holy Scripture of Celestial Brilliance, the Supreme Great Sect of Xi Hezhou! For its sake... back then... Ai, forget it. Let’s drink!”

Xu Luo’s eyes flickered. He raised his cup and clinked it against the Golden Monkey King’s, but his mind was racing. ’This monkey hesitated when mentioning the Soul Scripture and was evasive when talking about Celestial Brilliance. There’s something more to this story!’