Firmament Sword

The Monkey Wine was delicious and mellow. Xu Luo was drunk.

The Golden Monkey King was also very drunk. He was crying and laughing, shouting that he wanted to improve his strength and fight Xu Luo again. He also said he was diligently cultivating and would then go challenge that big, ugly toad he had long since despised.

Xu Luo savored the rare, drunken dizziness. He sat with the Golden Monkey King on the peak of Shi Mountain, a corner of which he had blasted off, and gazed at the Vast Mountains in the distance.

”Actually, I can sense that you are not from this Divine Domain... But all living beings suffer. Where you come from and where you’re going—what difference does it make?” the Golden Monkey King murmured, his eyes flashing with electric light as he stared into the distance.

”Brother Hui, have you never thought of exploring the Endless Divine Domain?” Xu Luo asked with a smile, his handsome face flushed from the drink.

”Explore the Endless Divine Domain... In the past, I not only thought about it, I did it. The result... I was covered in wounds. It’s too painful to even look back on.” The Golden Monkey King’s voice was tinged with sorrow. ”The Divine Domain is unimaginably vast and filled with countless wondrous creatures. I once saw a mighty elephant, its power rivaling that of the big, ugly toad, get poisoned to death by a black ant no bigger than my little finger. I’ve also seen a colorful, palm-sized butterfly flap its wings and turn a massive mountain peak to ash!”

Xu Luo couldn’t help but gasp. He had already seen for himself how sturdy the mountains and rivers of the Divine Domain were. ’A palm-sized butterfly can turn a massive mountain peak to ash?’

Although he had never met the Golden Toad known as the Infinite Saint Emperor, the Monkey’s own admission of being its inferior made it clear that the toad was a peerless expert. For a powerhouse of that caliber—like the elephant—to be poisoned to death by a finger-sized ant was astounding.

”There are many, many more stories. Back then, I was following my uncle...” The Golden Monkey King suddenly stopped talking.

But Xu Luo, ever perceptive, latched onto it. ”Brother Hui, you have an uncle? He must have been an even more brilliant and talented figure!”

”Hehe, let’s not talk about him. Let’s drink!” the Golden Monkey King said, tossing Xu Luo another gourd filled to the brim with fragrant, mellow Monkey Wine.

The corner of Xu Luo’s mouth twitched. He clearly remembered the Monkey saying just a moment ago that the Monkey Wine was too rare and precious, difficult to brew, and that every drop drunk was one less. After they both became tipsy, he had refused to bring out any more, saying he would save the rest to enjoy slowly by himself.

Now, just to shut Xu Luo up and stop him from asking more questions, he had so generously tossed him such a large gourd of it.

’The Monkey must have his reasons for not wanting to talk about it.’ Xu Luo naturally knew better than to press the issue.

Uncorking the gourd, Xu Luo took a sip and said with a smile, ”This truly is fine wine. The Spiritual Qi is so potent that an ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to handle it.”

”You’ve got that right. Anyone below what you humans call the Saint Realm can only take one sip of my wine, at most! One more sip, and their physical body might just explode!” the Golden Monkey King said, a little smugly.

Then, he said to Xu Luo seriously, ”Brother Luo, we hit it off right away. I don’t want to see you in danger, so I just want to give you a word of warning. You’d best give up on the idea of the Soul Scripture. That Supreme Great Sect is not a place you or I can afford to get involved with.”

Xu Luo replied just as seriously, ”Brother Hui, I won’t hide this from you. The person with the damaged Divine Soul is extremely important to me. Even if it costs me my life, I must get a look at that Soul Scripture! I have no intention of offending the Supreme Great Sect, but the Soul Scripture... I will definitely obtain it!”

”You and my...” The Golden Monkey King started to speak, but stopped himself. Then he slammed his empty wine gourd on the ground and said in a heavy voice, ”You’re all a bunch of fools! Why? Why? Why must you be this way?!”

After repeating ”Why” three times, the Monkey stood up and began to pace irritably on the cliff’s edge. The smell of alcohol around him transformed into endless vital energy and was absorbed into his body.

A moment later, the Monkey had converted all the alcohol’s potency into energy and absorbed it. Only then did he turn to Xu Luo, his gaze burning, and ask, ”You really want to go to that Supreme Great Sect and get a look at the Soul Scripture?”

Xu Luo nodded seriously. ”It is my only goal right now.”

”Fine! In that case, I’ll risk it with you! Dammit, I’ve lived for so many years with no sign of advancing to the Emperor level, and I’m sick of it! This time, I’ll go with you and we’ll turn that bullshit Supreme Great Sect upside down!” As the Monkey spoke, he slammed his Big Iron Rod on the ground, releasing a domineering aura that seemed to look down on the whole world.

”Brother Hui, how can I let you do that? This is my business; it has nothing to do with you. How can I let you risk your life with me?” Xu Luo said hurriedly.

”I have a grudge against that Supreme Great Sect! Years ago, they were the ones who captured my uncle! They put a restriction on him so he couldn’t live freely and happily, and even forced him to go to the depths of the Divine Domain to search for the Lower Soul Scripture!” In his anger, the Monkey recounted the long-standing feud between him and the Supreme Great Sect of Xi Hezhou, Celestial Brilliance.

”My uncle was a once-in-a-generation genius of the Golden Monkey Race. When he was young, he traveled abroad and found a great fortune deep in the Divine Domain. He comprehended the laws of transformation and mastered the Seventy-Two Transformations. With his strength, he was undefeated among all peers of his generation and cultivation level!”

”Later, he heard that there was a peerless genius in Xi Hezhou’s Supreme Great Sect, Celestial Brilliance, so my uncle went to challenge him. That genius was truly formidable. My uncle lost to him by a single move.”

”But the hateful thing is, before the fight, that peerless genius goaded my uncle and proposed a bet: the loser would have to do one thing for the winner.”

As the Monkey spoke, his eyes, which flashed with electric light, began to turn red. He said angrily, ”How could my uncle have known that humans could be so dirty and cunning? He lost by one move and was ready to accept his defeat, but the opponent just smiled and took out a hat, telling my uncle to put it on!”

At this point, the Monkey was grinding his teeth, his face filled with hatred. ”My uncle could tell at a glance that there was something wrong with the hat and proposed changing the terms.”

”As a result, that peerless genius from Celestial Brilliance, that sanctimonious villain, actually laughed at my uncle, calling him a sore loser who wasn’t worthy of being called an expert! My uncle couldn’t stand being provoked, so he put on the hat right then and there. And then, the peerless genius immediately activated the restriction and used that hat to take direct control of my uncle.”

”Such a villain exists?” Xu Luo looked at the Monkey in surprise, feeling indignant himself.

His own encounter with the Monkey had also started with a great battle, which led to mutual respect. Although they had only known each other for a short time, it didn’t stop them from becoming friends.

It had been the same with the Monkey’s uncle and the peerless genius from Celestial Brilliance. Although there was a slight gap in their strength, they were more or less evenly matched.

But to use a bet to place a restriction and forcefully control someone... The character of such a person was truly despicable.

”Heh, you’re telling me.” The Monkey sighed heavily, then said, ”But that peerless genius was also afraid my uncle would go crazy. He apologized to my uncle, saying he had been forced to do it. He said an elder in his sect had tasked him with opening some ancient ruins, and legend has it that the Lower Soul Scripture is inside those ruins.”

”But to open those ruins, you need someone with the bloodline of the Golden Monkey Race. The Golden Monkey Race, however, is unruly, short-tempered, and difficult to control. Therefore, he had to take the initiative and keep it in his own hands.”

”Then he promised my uncle that once the ruins were opened, they would only take the Lower Soul Scripture. All the other treasures, even if there were other heaven-sent opportunities, would belong to my uncle.”

”That’s absolute bullshit!” Master Mao, who had woken up nearby, opened his eyes and said angrily, ”Only a fool would believe a promise like that!”

The Monkey shot Master Mao a sideways glance and sneered, ”And what if you don’t believe it?”

Master Mao said, ”Then fight them and turn the place upside down!”

The Monkey sneered back, ”Once that restriction is activated, the pain is splitting, so unbearable you wish for death, but you can’t even die! Otherwise... do you think someone with my uncle’s temperament would have submitted? Would he be the kind of coward who compromises?”

”Then your uncle... where is he now?” Xu Luo asked, looking at the Monkey.

The Monkey pursed his lips. ”It’s been a hundred years since then. My uncle... he’s vanished without a trace. Not a single piece of news has come back. So this time, I’m going to charge right up to that Supreme Great Sect’s gate and ask them myself where my uncle went! Just because they’re a Supreme Great Sect, does that mean they can get away with such despicable methods?”

”Monkey, it’s not Master Mao talking down to you, but if you do that, you’re a fucking idiot!” Master Mao said coolly from the side.

”You’re the fucking idiot!” The Monkey instantly flew into a rage, raising his iron rod to strike Master Mao.

Master Mao moved like lightning, instantly ducking behind Xu Luo. He then said, ”You know perfectly well that the Supreme Great Sect is despicable and shameless, filled with a bunch of villains, yet you want to solve the problem like a Gentleman. If you’re not a fucking idiot, who is?”

”Then what am I supposed to do? Besides brute force, what else can I do?” The Monkey furiously smashed his rod into a giant boulder, shattering it to pieces.

”You still have us!” Master Mao rolled his eyes and sneered. ”In terms of strength, Master Mao is no match for you. But in terms of intelligence, you’re a long way from my level! And let’s not even talk about your strength—is it even enough to matter to that Supreme Great Sect?”

A dejected look came over the Monkey’s face. He plopped onto the ground, tossing his iron rod aside, and said glumly, ”If it were enough, I would’ve smashed their gates to smithereens long ago. Why would I have waited until today?”

Master Mao said, ”There you have it. So, if you want to save your uncle, you have to learn to use your brain!”

”I only know how to fight, not how to think!” the Monkey said.

”That’s why you can only ever be a king. I bet that big toad could probably screw you over without even lifting a finger. And you want to take its place...” Master Mao mocked.

This time, the Monkey didn’t get angry. He nodded seriously. ”Little kitty, you’ve got a point.”

”I am the Heaven-Swallowing Fox! Not a ’little kitty’!” Master Mao raged.

Xu Luo quickly tried to smooth things over. ”Alright, alright, stop arguing. Since this is the situation, why don’t we travel together? Let’s leave these Vast Mountains first and figure it out from there.”

The Golden Flood Dragon, who had been listening from the side without daring to interrupt, now spoke up meekly, ”Um... can you take me with you, too?”

”You’re Master Mao’s servant, of course we’re taking you!” Master Mao said. ”But... your Golden Winged Jiao Clan probably shouldn’t come, right?”

”Why the hell would they go? Those little worms are all a bunch of schemers. If you all went, I’m afraid you’d be swallowed whole!” the Monkey said, glaring at the Golden Flood Dragon. ”Little worm, am I right?”