This was an experience that none of the disciples present would ever forget.
Even the internal strife within the Heavenly Sword Sect was like a greenhouse compared to a disaster of this scale.
The Ghost-Faced Ape demon had taught them a lesson - the brutality of the path to immortalhood.
Of course, for them, a lifetime of fear might soon come to an end.
The Black Bear Spirit returned to his true form, his huge body filling the cave. He let out a roar and pounced. His target was the blue-clothed disciple beside Lan Shuiyue.
"Ahhhh!"
Lan Shuiyue screamed, clutching Wu Yu tightly. She dared not look. And by the time Wu Yu risked a glance himself, the blue-clothed disciple's brains had been plucked by the Black Bear Spirit and swallowed, unable to resist under the bindings of the Viridescent Ivy.
"Sweet!"
The Black Bear Spirit was ecstatic, its mouth full of blood.
The Viridescent Ivy went slack, and the corpse of the blue-clothed disciple fell to the floor for the Black Bear Spirit to feed on.
On the other side, the shark demon had eaten a disciple as well, and was over the moon with joy. They evidently had deep hatred for martial cultivators.
Soon, there were just six disciples left.
Originally, their combined spiritual power could break through the Viridescent Ivy. But now it was impossible. Wu Yu fiercely threw all his spiritual power into the struggle, but despaired to find that - besides himself - the remaining five disciples were stupefied by their fear, much like Lan Shuiyue.
They had personally witnessed a familiar Senior Brother's demise.
Virtually the entire cohort of fourth and fifth Tier Qi Condensation disciples was gathered here. If they were all exterminated by the Ghost-Faced Ape, there would be no disciples of this rank left!
His strength alone was insufficient. Wu Yu yelled to the others, "If you don't want to die, then set aside your fear and tear down the Viridescent Ivy!"
He had the inheritance of an immortal, and his future was bright. If he did not die.
All it needed was one thrust from the Ghost-Faced Ape.
"Keke."
A pity that the Ghost-Faced Ape would give him no chance. Perhaps he was interested in keeping the fox demon happy. Wu Yu and Lan Shuiyue were left for last. The remaining four disciples were killed by the Ghost-Faced Ape. They were not only swallowed whole, but their Sumeru Pouches were also captured.
The Black Bear Spirit, the fox demon, and the shark demon were all overjoyed. They were grinning, and their adulation for the Ghost-Faced Ape deepened.
Wu Yu and Lan Shuiyue had watched eight Heavenly Sword Sect disciples die before their eyes.
This grisly scene of blood and carnage was like hell!
Perhaps because Wu Yu had more knowledge about the path to immortalhood, he knew that it was like a tightrope. No one knew when they would fall and be dashed to death. There were not many who could walk it to the end and become an immortal!
"Two left. The guy is Qian Er's. Who wants the girl?" The Ghost-Faced Ape grinned.
"Senior, allow me. This girl is Lan Huayi's disciple, and also her kin. I can't eat her. I must preserve her corpse for Lan Huayi to see. Only that can ease the hatred in my heart." The Black Bear Spirit naturally recognized Lan Shuiyue.
"Permission granted."
"Wu Yu, you are mine." The fox demon Qian Er extended her tongue, licking her lips. The seductive expression hit him powerfully.
"Ahhhh!"
Only the two of them were left. Lan Shuiyue had lost all color in her face. She shrieked as she looked at the Black Bear Spirit. The despair in her eyes had reached a new low.
Wu Yu would not sit idle.
He had been constantly resisting and struggling against the Viridescent Ivy that held him. Because he had the Inner Vajra Buddha, the restraining effects of the Viridescent Ivy were actually minimal.
Bang, bang, bang!
The spiritual power clashed against the Viridescent Ivy, releasing waves of power!
His strength lay in the corporeal aspect. His muscles bunched tight, like a huge Buddha trying to crush heaven and earth itself.
Finally, there was a gap of space.
"Immortal Ape Transformation!"
Pa, pa, pa!
With a huge sound, his bones began to grow, his body sprouting golden hair. His body lengthened, and he became a golden ape, towering and majestic. He was extremely savage.
His eyes shone like the sun, the golden sauvastika emblazoned on his back. His thick arms coursed with power!
"Break!"
He roared. In that instant, the mirage of a sitting Buddha surfaced on his body. He continued to grow even while held by the Viridescent Ivy!
However, his opponent's spiritual power was also tremendous. He was an ancient thing who had been cultivating for close to a thousand years. Wu Yu was far from being able to compete against him with his current strength.
Suddenly, the Ghost-Faced Ape cried out in surprise, "How can it be?!" He actually loosened the Viridescent Ivy and stared at Wu Yu.
Bang!
Wu Yu's control over his strength slipped, and he caused the entire cave to shake and almost crumble.
Why had his enemy released him?
Lan Shuiyue had almost lost her wits in fright. At this moment, her gaze was unfocused. She only knew to cling on to Wu Yu, her face white as a sheet.
"You.... Your body, why would it have my bloodline, how is that possible...."
Perhaps because the sensation had intensified after the Immortal Ape Transformation, the Ghost-Faced Ape was struck. He stood before Wu Yu and sized him up with disbelief.
Wu Yu recalled that the fox demon had called him the Ghost-Faced Ape. He must’ve been a monkey that had turned demon.
"You have no demonic aura, but you have the body of a demon. Are you demon? Or human?" The Ghost-Faced Ape was aghast.
He was ignorant. The current state was not Wu Yu's true form, but merely a skill he used, the Immortal Ape Transformation. The opponent actually thought that Wu Yu was a demon without demonic aura.
"This, it's exactly my blood. And so intense, but changed," the Ghost-Faced Ape stuttered.
Wu Yu was shocked. Suddenly, he recalled something. The first time he had used the Immortal Ape Transformation, he had used a drop of beast blood. A very small drop.
But it had been precisely that drop of blood that had caused the Immortal Ape Transformation.
Back then, he had already wondered about the coincidence. Would beast blood appear on the Monkey Head Fruit so close to the Bipo Mountain Range?
And now Wu Yu understood! It must have been this Ghost-Faced Ape wandering in the vicinity, and he had left a drop of blood on a Monkey Head Fruit. Perhaps he had been wounded or something. These were all possibilities. But the only certainty was that he could identify his bloodline because the Immortal Ape Transformation's blood had come from him.
Of course, the Ghost-Faced Ape was ignorant of all this.
"Let me ask you. Who is your father?" the Ghost-Faced Ape asked.
Wu Yu's brain was flying with thoughts. He was trying to judge it. If he used the Beacon of Flame while the opponent was so near, it might already be confiscated before he could use it.
And that would only serve to enrage him.
But upon hearing such a question, Wu Yu wondered if he thought that he was his son.
Of course, humans and demons could not possibly progenate.
This was also why the Ghost-Faced Ape was so stunned. All these years, he had slept with thousands of human women.
Wu Yu calmed himself down and said, "I have no father. Besides, what is the meaning of all these questions? Humans and demons are at odds. Since you're so powerful, just kill me and be done with it."
The more his opponent suspected, the more Wu Yu would lead him in that direction.
It was not a battle of strength, but a battle of wits and courage. One slip up would prove fatal.
"No father? Then who is your mother?" The Ghost-Faced Ape was thinking deeply now, trying to dredge his own memory.
"She died when I was young. I grew up in the jungle," Wu Yu replied.
He mulled over this. No father, and a mother who died early. Grown up in the woods. Although it was uncertain, it fed the speculations of the Ghost-Faced Ape.
"Impossible. I'm a demon. How could a human deliver my progeny?"
The Ghost-Faced Ape retreated three steps. He had already sensed the strangeness in Wu Yu before, but in the end, he had dismissed it. But seeing Wu Yu use the Immortal Ape Transformation, he was again plagued by doubts.
From the side, the shark demon spoke up. "It's not impossible. It's said that humans and apes are very similar, and their bloodlines close. It could be a freak accident...."
"Impossible!" The fox demon was incensed. She had never given birth to a human child before. And she was worried that the juicy bit of meat was about to slip from her grasp. She was discontent.
"I'm your son?" Wu Yu played along, affecting a tone of doubt.
"Ahhhh!"
Lan Shuiyue clearly knew that Wu Yu had been a mortal prince, but now her thoughts were a mess. Hearing this, she instantly broke down, releasing Wu Yu and curling up in a corner. She pointed a trembling finger at Wu Yu. "Wh- who would have known that you're a demon!"
She was not in her right mind, but her spontaneous and foolish response only served to reinforce its believability.
The Ghost-Faced Ape was swayed now. Otherwise, it would be impossible for Wu Yu to have his bloodline. This was the only explanation.
He had intended to kill Wu Yu, but now he asked Wu Yu, "I intend to leave this place. It's undeniable that you have a demon's bloodline. If you stay here, the martial cultivators will kill you. Will you come with me?"
Wu Yu hesitated. "Am I really a demon? Will they kill me?"
"Their dead litter the floor here. What do you think? Besides, the Heavenly Sword Sect will be ended soon. No good will come if you stay."
The Ghost-Faced Ape showed no mercy towards martial cultivators, but he treated demons quite well. After seeing Wu Yu use the Immortal Ape Transformation, he gave Wu Yu a chance.
"Why must it be destroyed?"
"That's none of your concern," the Ghost-Faced Ape said.
"Alright then...."
Wu Yu frowned with seeming indecision. Finally, he said, "Then I will go with you."
At the side, the fox demon was about to cry. She now knew that she had to give up on sucking Wu Yu's yang energy.
The Black Bear Spirit chortled. "Then I won't stand on ceremony." He swaggered over to Lan Shuiyue. Her eyes welled with tears of despair as she wailed.
Seeing her pitiful state, Wu Yu was moved, despite their previous disagreements. They seemed so insignificant now.
"As a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, I can't see my own senior sister from the same sect be sullied and killed before my very eyes."
Therefore, he said, "I feel like you should let her go. She is the disciple of Lan Huayi, and calls her ‘aunt.’ A wonderful specimen. Bring her along, and if there is trouble, she can be used as a meat shield."
The Ghost-Faced Ape laughed and said, "Spare me these excuses. I understand. You like her. Alright then, we'll spare her."
"Aww, okay...." The Black Bear Spirit hung his head dispiritedly.