On Old Platform Mountain, the battle between the two great magical creatures intensified; on one side were thousands of sword shadows accompanied by transforming clones, with the young girl's attacks unpredictable and mysterious; on the other side were steady as a mountain staff shadows forming a prison, intercepting every killing intent precisely where the staff winds swept away illusions.
A cat and a monkey flitted across the battlefield, the crashing of metal mingling with the sound of the Sword Pill whistling through the air, making it difficult to discern a victor.
Guan Dazhuang was so nervous while watching that he was sweating profusely; if he were to enter this battle, he'd definitely be gone in the blink of an eye!
Xu Qing, on the other hand, showed a smile. After this battle, Xuan Yu's rank would be firmly established, and in future encounters, she would be more measured as well.
In the field, Xuan Yu maintained her focus. When the imprisoning dragon staff came at her from a tricky angle, she lightly tapped her toes, her posture as light as a feather, her small body narrowly gliding past the violent trajectory of the imprisoning dragon staff, landing silently as if she was a hunter prowling in the night, undistracted by any noise.
At a certain moment, eight clones of the young girl simultaneously unleashed the most aggressively offensive move of the Yue Maiden Sword — "Combat White Ape!"
This move was one of the sword techniques that Master Yuan taught Xuan Yu for keeping in her arsenal; back then, the Profound Lady admired this move and defeated it.
Master Yuan had asked the Profound Lady what this move was called, but the Profound Lady said the Yue Maiden Sword had no name, it was simply her own sword technique.
Including the name "Yue Maiden Sword," it was merely a name given presumptuously by the world.
Hence, when Xuan Yu learned the Yue Maiden Sword and asked Master Yuan what this move was called, Master Yuan didn't answer.
But this didn't stump the clever Xuan Yu; she presumptuously named this sword technique "Combat White Ape."
At this moment, this strongest sword technique was indeed used on the red-tailed monkey, also a monkey.
The red-tailed monkey felt a strong foreboding in its heart, this sword condensed the essence of swordsmanship, already contained a hint of the true meaning of the supreme Profound Lady, the red-tailed monkey silently cursed.
It couldn't understand why this sword technique always seemed particularly directed at it!
The monkey just wanted to earn some incense for the monkeys and its descendants, why need to get serious?
As the sword intent condensed to its peak, the young girl's eight silhouettes leapt into the air, merging into one, while a nearly solidified sword light struck straight down from the air!
Xuan Yu belatedly shouted, "Monkey, run!"
"..."
Whether the monkey could run was unknown, but inside, it was cursing quite nastily.
The red-tailed monkey's face turned green, its intense foresight and sensing the yin-yang atmospheric changes made it react instantly, pre-emptively before being touched.
The lean body burst forth unprecedented potential; the originally sparring red-tailed monkey rolled in an extremely ragged yet exquisitely perfected ground dive, wrapping itself in dirt, burrowed into the crevice of the rock.
This was a relatively superficial earth escape technique, but just this small technique combined with the red-tailed monkey's precognitive ability allowed him to narrowly escape the fatal sword strike.
When it came to its senses, the dazzling white sword glow transformed into a long rainbow, slicing off a part of the distant mountain peak.
Guan Dazhuang stood speechless, saying, "The Hall Master is truly formidable!"
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow but did not respond.
Xuan Yu seemed to have the upper hand, yet she exerted all her strength; while the red-tailed monkey was disheveled, it still had the power to fight on, continuing would only result in a war of attrition, seeing who could endure longer.
The red-tailed monkey had gone through its tribulation years before Xuan Yu by over a decade, possessing six hundred years of cultivation; if the fight continued, Xuan Yu, who had just recently formed her Demon Core, might not necessarily benefit.
Moreover, Xu Qing noticed that the monkey in front seemed to have also received considerable fortune; otherwise, typical staff techniques would surely not allow it to persist under Master Yuan's taught sword technique for so long.
From the rock crevice, the dusty red-tailed monkey launched itself out; upon jumping into mid-air, it twisted its waist, kicking off the stone, using the force to flip onto the pine branch.
Though temporarily behind, the red-tailed monkey was not at all angry; it grinned showing its teeth, sheepishly smiling, saying: "I'm convinced, I'm convinced! Your clone technique is so formidable, and the sword technique is so unreasonable, no wonder you can hold the title of Commander of the Cat Immortal Hall."
Xu Qing observed the two-faced monkey, always feeling it was somewhat different from the impression he had of it.
If he had to say precisely, it was probably the difference between a monkey king and a horse monkey.
The red-tailed monkey clearly resembled more the latter.
In Guan's temple, the red-tailed monkey who admitted its skills to be inferior respectfully offered incense to Granny Guan Flower, considering it as bowing.
"Old Granny Flower! The other day, I ate your sacrificial fruit, it was my fault, today I come to make amends."
Guan Dazhuang observed the monkey that was bowing and felt his own backbone stood straighter than usual.
A Demon Core consolidating great demon that had gone through its tribulation with over six hundred years of cultivation, came to apologize as soon as it said it would; if this event spread, not only would it enhance the prestige of Cat Immortal Hall, but even this sub-hall's Mountain Monarch might gain some reflected glory.
"Hou Immortal Family, what is the name of your staff technique?"
Xu Qing was leading a horse, while the Red-Tail Monkey marched ahead with a staff on its shoulder. Upon hearing Xu Qing's question, the monkey didn't even turn its head as it replied, "I learned this staff technique in a cave, it's called the Qi Tian Staff Technique."
What the heck?
Xu Qing felt something wasn't quite right. He quickly followed up, "How did you learn the staff technique in that cave?"
Perhaps thinking his question was a bit presumptuous, Xu Qing hastily added, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to learn your staff technique. It's just that I too once visited a cave and came across some opportunities..."
The Red-Tail Monkey responded nonchalantly, "Even if I wanted others to learn this staff technique, they probably wouldn't be able to!"
"How so?"
"Brother Xu, you may not know, but the cave I encountered is in a very secret place. On the walls inside are tadpole-like symbols. The moment I entered, I slept for seven days and nights. In my dreams, there was a monkey king clad in golden armor and a red crown who drank and made merry with me. We played dice for six days, and on the last day, he taught me a staff technique. That staff technique didn't have a name.
When the monkey king was leaving, I asked him what this staff technique was called and what his honorable title was. He simply said two words, Qi Tian."
"The staff technique he taught me naturally is called the Qi Tian Staff Technique."
"..."
Xu Qing had a peculiar expression on his face. When he transcended Hong Baoyan, through the latter's memory, he had also discovered some strange symbols on a cave wall and comprehended the Tiangang Thirty-Six Axes. Like the staff technique, this axe technique had no name, except in the last move, a youth in white shouted the words, Kai Tian.
Qi Tian, Kai Tian, why do they keep opposing heaven?
"By the way, what fortune did you gain?"
Faced with the Red-Tail Monkey's curiosity, Xu Qing said softly, "A set of axe technique for chopping firewood..."
The Red-Tail Monkey rolled its eyes, chuckled, and said, "Your axe technique is for chopping wood, then mine is for hitting snakes. We're both good citizens."
"..."
This monkey...
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow at the Red-Tail Monkey.
"Monkey Immortal, have you ever heard of the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey?"
"What monkey?" The monkey scratched its head.
Xu Qing laughed silently and patiently explained, "Legend has it that there's a type of mischievous monkey in the world known as the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey."
"This monkey understands Yin and Yang, is knowledgeable about human affairs, good at coming in and going out, avoids death, and lengthens life, possessing abilities that reach the skies."
Understanding Yin and Yang means it comprehends the operation rules of heaven and earth, insight into worldly laws and changes in the dynamics.
Being knowledgeable about human affairs means it is adept in social interactions and worldly wisdom.
Being good at coming in and going out refers to the ability to move flexibly in and out of various spaces, such as arrays and dangerous places, possessing certain escape skills.
Avoiding death and lengthening life implies this spiritual monkey can calculate and predict, thus able to avert misfortunes, avoiding death, achieving the effect of prolonging life.
Xu Qing had previously suspected that the Red-Tail Monkey possessed Yin-Yang eyes, always leaving a retreat in its dealings and speech. When evading Xuan Yu's Sword Pill, this monkey shrunk its body on the spot and quickly slipped into a crevice.
Except for avoiding death and lengthening life, which is yet to be confirmed, in other aspects, this monkey fits well, no wonder Xu Qing has his suspicions.
The Red-Tail Monkey got quite excited hearing Xu Qing's description.
"Avoiding death and lengthening life is the art of divination, and I know this magic, so by that reasoning, am I also a spiritual monkey?"
Xu Qing had nothing to say. People can't be compared, much less zombies, because some life forms are just naturally endowed, leaving no room for reasoning.
"Since you can calculate and predict, why didn't you predict about my Cat Immortal Hall? Aren't you afraid that my Cat Immortal Hall is your misfortune?"
The Red-Tail Monkey shook its head like a rattle drum, "Among the immortals, it's not wise to make calculations. If anyone calculates me and I find out, I would certainly avoid them forever. Similarly, I don't calculate other immortals, we are all neighbors, too much calculating and the feelings will be gone..."
Indeed, it knows human affairs well.
Xu Qing chuckled, "Blessing or curse, by not calculating me, it's your blessing."
"Blessing?" The monkey scratched its head.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that I also don't like people scheming behind my back. If I find out, hehe..."
The Red-Tail Monkey, upon seeing Xu Qing's half-smiling face, felt an unnerving tension throughout its body. Its instinct to avoid death and prolong life warned it that if it calculated Xu Qing's origin, there probably wouldn't be a good outcome!