The demon beasts that could evade pursuit and take refuge in Monkey King Mountain could generally be divided into two categories.
The first category consisted of demon beasts that lived near Monkey King Mountain. When the disturbance arose, they sensed that something was amiss and fled directly to Monkey King Mountain. They had not encountered any danger, and their strengths varied.
However, the second category of demon beasts had endured rounds of pursuit, arriving at Monkey King Mountain with injuries. Their strength surpassed that of over eighty percent of the demon beasts on the Divine Continent. Therefore, when the monkey demons began to clash with them, they did not immediately fall into a disadvantage. Instead, they fought the monkey demons to a standstill.
Of course, this was also related to the fact that neither side had intended to kill. They understood the gravity of the situation. Although their blows landed heavily, they did not employ attacks with extreme killing power.
Xu Yi watched the ongoing melee, her eyes deep. She glanced up at the demeanor of the Black-haired Ape Leader, then slowly withdrew her gaze. The Black-haired Ape Leader seemed content with the current situation. Xu Yi nodded as she observed the ferocious demon beasts. Both the demon beasts and the monkey demons had accumulated their frustrations, and using this opportunity to vent was not a bad idea. She was merely a catalyst.
While Xu Yi was contemplating, she failed to notice the subtle change in expression on the face of the Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird perched on her shoulder. The Black-haired Ape Leader was the first to sense something was wrong. The discomfort he had felt yesterday returned, and it was growing stronger. He instinctively moved away from Xu Yi and looked at her in shock. This time, he felt it. The extremely unsettling discomfort originated from Xu Yi.
Soon, demon beasts all over the mountain also sensed that something was amiss. Thump, thump! Demon beasts began to kneel on the ground, trembling. The remaining demon beasts, although able to stand, looked uneasy, baring their fangs.
Xu Yi slowly turned her head and widened her eyes in surprise. She could actually see a majestic expression on the face of a bird. The Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird was no longer showing any signs of ignorance. Its eyes emitted sharp, cold light, and it tilted its head slightly, like a majestic king looking down upon his subjects.
The Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird ignored Xu Yi’s gaze. Its wings trembled slightly, and it circled upwards from Xu Yi's shoulder, then let out a long cry to the heavens. Among the living beings present, apart from Xu Yi, no other demon beast could see the Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird or hear its voice. However, as the Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird let out its cry, the demon beasts that were still standing, as if influenced by something, suddenly knelt down. Even the Black-haired Ape Leader faltered for a moment, kneeling on one knee without any resistance.
Xu Yi was stunned. The Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird had regained its sanity again. She looked up at the Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird’s silhouette, hoping to get a response from it. However, after its cry, the Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird suddenly stopped flapping its wings and plummeted rapidly from the sky. Xu Yi was startled and was about to use her spiritual power to catch it when she saw it wobble and then fly up again.
The Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird looked around confusedly. Upon seeing Xu Yi, its eyes lit up. It immediately flapped its wings, flew back to Xu Yi’s shoulder, and nuzzled affectionately against her cheek. Xu Yi withdrew the hope in her eyes and shook her head slightly. The Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird's period of regaining its senses was far too brief.
“Xu Yi, what was that just now…”
As Xu Yi was pondering the matter of the Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird, she saw the Black-haired Ape Leader looking at it with surprise and doubt, his face full of disbelief. Xu Yi’s expression froze. Her thoughts raced, but she couldn’t find a suitable excuse.
The Black-haired Ape Leader, as if recalling something, gave up questioning and stood up from the ground. Following its lead, the other demon beasts that had collapsed on the ground also stood up one after another. A look of confusion lingered on their faces, and their previously ferocious, violent, and bloodthirsty demeanor vanished without a trace. No one had the inclination to fight anymore, and a war thus dissolved into nothingness.
The demon beasts, in a daze, were driven away by the Black-haired Ape Leader. The Black-haired Ape Leader said nothing to Xu Yi, but shortly thereafter, it delivered several large baskets of spiritual fruits to the base of the tree where Xu Yi resided. Xu Yi guessed that it had discovered something but chose not to expose it. Xu Yi feigned ignorance, picked up a spiritual fruit, and was about to pop it into her mouth when she paused. Just moments ago, she suddenly remembered the little green worm that loved spiritual fruits so much. The little green worm had fallen into a deep sleep after eating too many spiritual fruits at the Jian family's birthday banquet and had not yet woken up.
Xu Yi took out the magic treasure containing the little green worm, preparing to open it to check on its condition, when she saw a dark figure stealthily approaching her. Xu Yi chuckled and, on impulse, threw the magic treasure back into her storage ring, then quietly watched the other party's clumsy attempt to conceal itself. The Black-haired Ape King looked up and met Xu Yi's smiling eyes. It instinctively pulled at the corner of its mouth, but then, as if remembering something, quickly closed its mouth, glanced around furtively, confirmed that the leader was not present, hurried to the tree where Xu Yi was sitting, and whispered, "Xu Yi, do you have any news about Mudan and Shiliu?"
The smile on Xu Yi's face faded, and she shook her head. After rescuing those demon beasts, she had also inquired about the Four-Winged Blood Horse and the Snow Leopard, but to no avail. Xu Yi dared not dwell on it, only hoping that they were clever enough to escape this calamity.
The Black-haired Ape King drooped its head in disappointment and sat down on the ground. The Four-Winged Blood Horse and the Snow Leopard were friends it had made with great difficulty, and it cherished their friendship dearly. It had enthusiastically invited the two demon beasts to live with it in its territory, but they had refused, and it hadn't forced the issue. Looking back now, it regretted it deeply.
Xu Yi couldn't find any reason to comfort it, so she casually tossed a spiritual fruit down from the tree. The Black-haired Ape King stared at the spiritual fruit in front of it for a while, then popped it into its mouth, chewing loudly with a crunching sound. Xu Yi waited for it to finish eating before tossing another one. The Black-haired Ape King accepted it and stuffed it into its mouth again. In this manner, the spiritual fruits delivered by the Black-haired Ape Leader were quickly devoured by the human and the ape.
After a hearty meal, the Black-haired Ape King regained some energy. Just as it was about to stand up and leave, it saw the leader carrying several baskets of spiritual fruits towards them. It froze for a moment, then let out a strange cry and bolted down the mountain. The Black-haired Ape Leader also froze for a moment. It looked at the panicked and fleeing figure of the Black-haired Ape King, then glanced at the empty baskets beside Xu Yi, and immediately understood what had happened, its anger ignited. Suppressing its rage, it delivered the spiritual fruits to Xu Yi, said "Pardon me," and then stormed off in pursuit.
“Ape Leader, those spiritual fruits were mine…”
Before Xu Yi's words had even finished, she heard the pained cry of the Black-haired Ape King from not far away. She smiled helplessly, leaned against the tree, and leisurely began eating the fruit. As for the little green worm, it was once again left behind by her.