Chapter 67: Water Monkey
“Bang!”
The spot where he had just been exploded with a roar, and a dark figure flickered indistinctly underwater.
Song Changsheng was filled with shock and rage. He hadn't even noticed a demonic beast lurking there and had almost been ambushed.
“Duoh!”
He immediately conjured the treasure gourd in his hand and smashed it forward. The treasure gourd collided with the dark figure, instantly stirring up a thousand waves, but in just a flash, the treasure gourd flew back.
Song Changsheng's face turned pale as he blurted out, “A low-grade second-rank demonic beast?!”
“Whoosh!”
The dark figure, carrying a water column, suddenly surged out of the water, lunging directly at Song Changsheng.
Only then did Song Changsheng finally get a clear look at his opponent. It was ten feet long, ape-like in form, with crimson eyes, sharp teeth, long gray fur, four ears, long arms, and a tail like a steel whip. It was a water monkey!
“Awoo—!”
The water monkey opened its mouth and emitted a piercing sonic wave. Song Changsheng quickly sealed off his hearing, then conjured the Water Element Shield to block in front of him.
“Chisel!”
The water monkey's claws landed on the shield, producing a series of sparks.
Song Changsheng retreated dozens of feet, then looked down. Three deep claw marks were left on the surface of the Water Element Shield!
He couldn't help but gasp. This was an artifact refined from refined Gui Water Essence, yet it was so vulnerable before this beast.
A human-like sneer appeared on the water monkey's face. It plunged into the water, then burst out from the side in a flash, sharp claws gleaming with cold light.
Its speed was too fast. Song Changsheng had no time to dodge and subconsciously conjured the Lu Wu Bell to protect himself.
“Clang!”
The claws collided with the bronze bell, emitting resounding chimes that caused the lake water to churn incessantly. The water monkey was also affected by the sonic waves, its assault briefly stalling.
“Control!”
Song Changsheng seized this rare opportunity, pouring all his strength into manipulating water. Thick water columns surged from all directions.
The water monkey's demonic energy surged. With a sweep of its steel whip-like tail, all the water columns instantly exploded in mid-air, unable to even get close to it.
Song Changsheng was horrified and quickly retreated again.
But the water monkey reacted even faster. Its tail struck the Lu Wu Bell like lightning. The bronze bell and Song Changsheng were instantly sent flying backward, slamming heavily onto the water surface, splashing water several zhang high.
A low-grade second-rank demonic beast was comparable to an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, already formidable. And in the water, where the water monkey excelled, the battle instantly became a one-sided slaughter. Song Changsheng had almost no ability to retaliate.
This was still due to his acute spiritual sense and the spiritual artifact protecting his body. If it were any other Qi Refinement grand perfection cultivator, they would have already met a miserable end.
Although Song Changsheng was sent crashing into the water, the direct damage was blocked by the Lu Wu Bell. He only suffered minor injuries. The moment he entered the water, he took the opportunity to dive to the bottom and escape into the distance.
The water monkey let out an eerie cry and quickly gave chase.
Feeling the increasingly close aura behind him, Song Changsheng was unprecedentedly calm. Although the water monkey was powerful, he wasn't without a chance to fight to the death.
He had a low-grade second-rank talisman, a protective jade pendant gifted by his mother, and the Substitute Paper Doll and the array formation within his body had not yet been used. If used properly, it wasn't impossible to turn the tables.
“I must create a suitable opportunity to use the talisman.” Song Changsheng's mind raced, beginning to formulate a strategy. In terms of lethality, the talisman Song Luohuai had left him was undoubtedly the most potent.
But there was only one talisman. If he used it, it had to be a decisive blow!
“I'll stake it all!” A fierce look appeared on Song Changsheng's face. Escape was impossible. The water monkey's speed in water was far beyond his own. A single-minded escape would only lead to a miserable death in the end.
Song Changsheng's mind stirred, and the Yin-Yang Dual Polarity Formation instantly activated. An invisible domain unfurled, and the Yin and Yang Qi immediately transformed into a black and white pair of scissors, aiming for the water monkey's neck.
A human-like disdain flashed in the water monkey's eyes. As its demonic energy swelled, a dark blue light shield blocked the scissors formed by the Yin and Yang Qi, preventing them from advancing even an inch.
“Awoo, awoo, awoo!”
The water monkey let out a triumphant cry.
Song Changsheng's eyes widened in fury. “Now!” he roared, “Suppress!”
The Lu Wu Bell in his hand instantly enlarged hundreds of times, descending from mid-air like Mount Tai pressing down. Spiritual artifacts possessed sentience. Although Song Changsheng's cultivation was insufficient, he could barely control it by relying on the artifact's inherent sentience.
Seeing the golden-radiant bronze bell suppressing it, the water monkey dared not be careless. It first struck and shattered the Yin and Yang Qi, then raised both arms, directly resisting the Lu Wu Bell.
“Slay Demon!”
Song Changsheng once again activated the Yin-Yang Dual Polarity Formation. The immense consumption rapidly paled his face, and the Yin and Yang Qi this time transformed into a black and white broadsword, vertically cleaving down towards the water monkey beneath the bronze bell.
The water monkey was fully engaged in fighting the Lu Wu Bell. Seeing Song Changsheng's deadly move approaching again, it immediately let out a sharp howl, activating its demonic energy to protect its body.
The broadsword was barely half an inch from the water monkey's head, yet it couldn't fall any further, locked in a stalemate.
Song Changsheng's face was devoid of color. The massive consumption made him somewhat unsustainable, and the array formation also began to falter.
The water monkey was highly intelligent. It immediately saw that Song Changsheng was at the end of his tether, knowing that its chance for a counterattack had arrived. It gathered all its strength and erupted in an instant.
The powerful force directly shattered the black and white broadsword, and the Lu Wu Bell was sent flying.
A triumphant smile appeared on Song Changsheng's pale face. The talisman paper in his hand rapidly burned to ash.
“Low-grade second-rank Heavenly Sword Talisman!”
A soaring sword light suddenly appeared, flashing across the water monkey's chest with lightning speed, then landing on the stone wall behind it, carving out a sword mark several zhang long.
The water monkey's smile froze on its face. Looking at the line of blood beads seeping from its chest, intense unwillingness filled its eyes. After a mournful shriek, it broke into two pieces and fell into the dark river.
Song Changsheng's face was as pale as paper, yet his excitement was undeniable. He had gambled correctly, first feigning weakness to make the water monkey unleash its full power without restraint.
And the moment it unleashed its full power was also the moment its own defenses were weakest. The Heavenly Sword Talisman, activated at this moment, indeed delivered a fatal blow.
Reaching out to recall the Lu Wu Bell, Song Changsheng caressed the beast patterns on it, softly murmuring, “Thankfully, I had you, otherwise I would have fallen here today.”
The Lu Wu Bell trembled slightly, as if responding.
Song Changsheng put it into his Qiankun Bag. After a brief rest, he dived underwater and retrieved the water monkey's corpse. It was a second-rank demonic beast after all, with many valuable artifact refining materials on it. It couldn't be wasted.
He expertly disassembled the claws, teeth, tendons, and bones. The remaining flesh and fur were burned to ash and scattered into the dark river.
Although the creature's flesh could be eaten, it was humanoid and eating it felt unsettling. So, he simply burned it all to be done with it.
After doing all this, Song Changsheng swam back towards the underground lake. The guardian demonic beast was dead, and that Ink Jade Nether Lotus was rightfully his to claim!
(Chapter End)