Chapter 140: The Monkey King's Roar
All hope had left Kai. It had drained from him along with the blood clouding the water, swallowed by the abyssal dark and the sight of the primordial horror that had impaled him. As he sank, a strange, morbid peace settled over him.
Death is not something to run from, the thought surfaced, clear and calm amidst the fading chaos of his mind. It is a rest from suffering. He had spent his entire life running, fighting, clawing for every scrap of power and every inch of survival. From the gutters of Nova Lumina to the shifting expanses, it had been one long, grueling battle. Many people fear death, but isn't death promised the moment you are born? It was the one contract every living thing signed, the final, inescapable truth. In this world of endless struggle, of betrayal and pain, of a cursed existence that forced him to endure death and an even more horrific rebirth again and again... Death is a blessing I was abandoned from. To live in this cursed world is to suffer. To die... is to finally rest.
He welcomed it. He let the cold claim him. He let the darkness at the edge of his vision finally swallow him whole , and readying himself for enduring same thing again.
It was then that a new shadow fell over him. A massive, reddish-skinned jaw, lined with rows of serrated teeth, opened wide. It was the spinosaurus. With a final, decisive SNAP that was muted by the water, it swallowed Kai whole.
He did not feel the descent down its throat. He felt nothing but the finality of it. He was cargo, being delivered.
Through the creature's senses, Shi Xiao, standing calmly on the ocean floor, felt the successful capture. He reached out, patting the spinosaurus's horned forehead in approval. A job well done.
But then, he felt something else. A tremor. A surge of energy so vast and primal it made the very water molecules vibrate with panic.
Inside the mouth of the beast, a system notification, unseen but felt in the very core of Kai's soul, erupted.
—--------------------------------------------
You have unlocked your Bloodline Transformation.
Bloodline- Alhuwalia Bloodline
Detecting purity level condition for transformation:-
Blood purity< 100% = The Oni Mode
Blood purity= 100% = The Monkey King Form
Detecting bloodline purity- ...
Detection completed.
Bloodline purity- 100%
Unlocked: The Monkey King Form
Secondary Element Unlocked - Lumora [A fire-kin that devours void]
Bloodline Transformation completed.
—----------------------------------------------
The spinosaurus, which had been turning to deliver its prize, suddenly convulsed. A brilliant, golden-red light began to shine from within its throat , piercing through its scaly hide. Its maw, which had snapped shut, was now forced violently open as a wave of incinerating heat erupted outwards. The water around its head flashed into superheated steam as its face was first set ablaze by a fire that burned with the fury of a sun, and then utterly obliterated in a concussive blast.
From the wreckage of the creature's skull, a new form emerged.
It was a being of startling contradiction. The face was that of a powerful, bearded monkey, wise and wild, with eyes that held the light of a thousand battles. Yet the body was sculpted like a god's, radiating divine, effortless power. He wore magnificent, fiery royal clothes, predominantly red and gold, that fit his muscular chest and arms perfectly. Across his back and shoulders, flames of magical energy trailed and ascended, weaving into a single, vibrant heart shape high above his head—a symbol of his passionate and untamed spirit. In one hand, he clutched an immense, glowing staff. A sheathed sword rested at his hip. This was not just a warrior; this was the Monkey King, a legendary force of nature.
The spinosaurus, what was left of it, shrieked in agony. The Monkey King—Kai—moved. A single, devastating knee strike shattered its remaining jaw. A follow-up swing of his staff sent the colossal creature flying backward through the water, its body broken.
He turned his burning gaze towards Shi Xiao. For the first time, Shi could not match his speed. He was a blur of gold and red, his staff a whirlwind of destruction.
A single, shocked thought managed to form in Shi's mind, even as he was forced on the defensive. How can this fucking Worm of the Bloodline have unlocked the Monkey King Form? Isn't that only for those with 100% purity? Wasn't he exiled for having low purity?!
He had no time to ponder the contradiction. He spat the words of his ultimate technique, his 7-star essence art: "Lifeline Loom!"
Golden threads erupted, seeking to bind the simian god. But Kai was already past them. His staff slammed into Shi's face, sending him careening towards the still-healing spinosaurus. Kai shot after him, a vengeful comet.
He saw the spinosaurus was already nearly fully regenerated. Shi's wounds, too, were closing. He understood. To end this, he had to target the puppeteer's hands. But he would not let this opportunity pass.
He roared, his voice a hybrid of human and monkey, a sound that shook the ocean floor.
"YoU WaNt to See tHe poweR oF a Worm? tHen SeE!"
He fell into a stance, one hand miming the drawing of a bow. His staff floated beside him, humming with power. Behind him, the ocean water began to churn, gathering, compressing. A colossal arrow of water, five times larger than his previous one, began to form. It spun with such ferocious speed that it created a vortex. But then, something new emerged. A fire, bright and white-hot, wrapped around the water arrow in a perfect, spiraling helix. This was not ordinary fire; it was Lumora, a flame that fed on the void itself, making the water within the arrow shine with the intensity of an undying sun.
He released it.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion was not of sound, but of pure existence being unmade. On the ocean floor, a crater the size of a city was instantly carved into the bedrock. The force of the blast traveled through the entire Xander Ocean, creating a tsunami wave 15 kilometers high that raced towards the shores, connected rivers boiling over their banks. Where the attack had landed, there was nothing. Nothing but nothing, and the fading echo of a monkey's roar.
---
Snowy Region, Shifting Expanse
Shi Xiao materialized before Rivan, collapsing to his knees. His body was a charred, smoking wreck, golden threads flickering weakly as they tried to repair the catastrophic damage.
Rivan looked down at him, his expression unreadable. "If I had not given you that treasure that allows you to summon directly to me," he said calmly, "you would have merged with Brahman today."
Shi struggled to stabilize his breathing, his voice a pained rasp. "I deeply apologize, my Master. You can punish me all you want."
"Enough of this bullshit," Rivan waved a hand dismissively. "You both did your best. Now go, return to the real world and rest." He paused, his gaze turning sharp. "And yes, I want data—location, contacts, every detail you have of that girl and her boyfriend. Get it to me within a week. I am already late."
To be continued…