"What is happening to me..."
Bai Shan's eyes fluttered open, his head throbbing and a low groan escaping his throat.
He stared blankly at the crystal-clear ice wall above him, feeling the constant chill radiating from below, his gaze gradually turning sharp.
He remembered.
He had received the inheritance of the Ice Mountain Twin-Faced Butterfly.
With a thought, Bai Shan's icy blue wings faded, replaced by a tall and slender human form.
He looked down at his palms, his expression unreadable, a bitter smile playing on his lips.
Though he had obtained the inheritance as he wished, he wasn't as excited as he had imagined.
The Ice Mountain Twin-Faced Butterfly clan carried a profound secret unknown to outsiders.
Bai Shan suddenly recalled the Monkey King who had informed him of the inheritance site.
The Monkey King was one of the few who knew the truth.
And it had perhaps been waiting for his arrival.
Bai Shan sat cross-legged, his mood complex, and opened his palm. A dazzling ice crystal spun within it.
This crystal contained the spiritual energy left by the ancestors of the Ice Mountain Twin-Faced Butterfly.
Upon completely absorbing the ice crystal, his strength would surge.
However, at the same time, he would gain a shackle that could never be removed.
Bai Shan gazed at the ice crystal, his heart as clear as a mirror.
He actually had another choice: to return the ice crystal to the ice mountain and wait for the next clansman to obtain it.
But doing so would mean missing the opportunity for a breakthrough in strength, remaining an ordinary person.
Bai Shan knew he would never choose the other path, just as he had been resolute in his decision to head for the ice mountain.
Fleeting images of the past flashed through his mind. He lowered his gaze to the sound transmission disk at his waist, his finger lifting slightly as if to grasp it, but ultimately, his finger landed on the ice crystal.
The moment his finger touched the ice crystal, a vast amount of spiritual energy surged into him.
Bai Shan, having just regained consciousness, was instantly plunged back into cultivation. His body was gradually covered by the ice crystal, transforming him into an exquisite ice sculpture, sitting peacefully within the ice mountain.
...
"Xu Yi... Xu Yi..."
"Who?"
Xu Yi's eyes snapped open, her expression stern.
However, the next moment, upon noticing her surroundings, her expression shifted to one of shock and disbelief.
She was in the same cave dwelling where she had first met the Monkey King.
But Xu Yi clearly remembered being above Monkey King Mountain just moments ago, waiting with Ji Bu Wang for the spiritual energy storm within the mountain to subside.
Moreover, the cave dwelling on Monkey King Mountain had been destroyed by the spiritual energy storm; how could it appear as it did when she first saw it?
With a thought, Xu Yi held the Disciplinary Ruler in her hand.
"Xu Yi, look down."
The childish voice startled Xu Yi.
She followed the sound and gasped in surprise.
Upon a mountain of piled bones, sat a small monkey, less than half her height.
The monkey's fur was a light shade, its eyes large and round, giving it an adorable appearance.
Due to its small size, unless for its yellowish-brown fur, it would be difficult to notice.
Xu Yi's gaze was peculiar as she descended onto the pile of bones.
"You... are you..."
Xu Yi, uncharacteristically, stammered.
The last time she visited the cave dwelling, the majestic Monkey King had been seated above the bones.
This time, in the same spot, there was a monkey demon, but the size difference was thousands of times.
Xu Yi found it difficult to connect the two monkey demons, yet her intuition told her that the reality was as she suspected.
Seeing Xu Yi's hesitation, the little monkey's face, so human-like, revealed a surprisingly benevolent smile.
"Heh heh, you weren't so reserved the last time you saw me."
Xu Yi:!
It really was the Monkey King!
"What, doesn't it look like me?" The Monkey King seemed to read Xu Yi's thoughts, chuckling and reaching up to scratch its head. "I haven't seen myself in my nascent form for many years, so it's normal for you to feel unaccustomed."
"How did you become like this?"
Xu Yi was astonished, but her gaze softened.
Seeing the Monkey King finally eased the heavy burden in her heart.
The Fire Slurry Fruit was indeed effective.
However, the Monkey King's next words made her burden rise high once more.
"It's because I'm already dead."
Xu Yi's mind went blank for a moment.
After a short while, she managed to find her voice and said with difficulty, "Dead? Are you talking to me..."
"I'm not joking." The Monkey King's flushed cheeks held a maturity and weariness unbefitting its appearance. "You must have already seen the body of the Sky Devouring Python. Killing a Great Ascension stage demon beast is not easy. I gave my all this time."
Though the Monkey King's last sentence carried a hint of jest, seeing Xu Yi's pale face, it didn't amuse her. It sighed, only able to lament the unpredictable nature of fate.
After the Monkey King had seen Xu Yi that day, a sliver of vitality slowly began to grow within its fatigued body.
It knew this was a sign of its potential recovery, so it focused intensely on cultivation, awaiting good news.
However, a few days prior, it awoke with a premonition of unease.
In the depths of its being, the Monkey King sensed its approaching demise.
After a brief period of sadness, the Monkey King quickly accepted this outcome and began making preparations for its passing.
Xu Yi bringing back the Fire Slurry Fruit was also a part of its plan.
"What you are seeing now is an illusionary realm I constructed before my death, and I am currently but a wisp of remnant soul. After speaking with you, my remnant soul will completely dissipate."
The Monkey King looked at Xu Yi. "I know what you want, and I can help you, but you must agree to one condition."
Xu Yi remained silent.
Her emotions were complex. The Monkey King had proposed a condition last time, but after she and Ji Bu Wang had completed it through great hardship, this was the outcome. She was unsure whether to agree.
"I know you have doubts, but you already possess the Soul-Unbinding Bell, and you are only one step away from meeting the Demon King. Are you willing to give up?"
The Monkey King's words struck Xu Yi's Achilles' heel.
She was unwilling to give up.
"Monkey King, please speak."
"Actually, this request is very simple. I only ask that after you defeat the Demon race, you grant the demon race a sliver of hope, and do not eradicate them completely."
Xu Yi blinked in surprise. This request...
"The Demon race is bringing about its own destruction, but there are many demon beasts within the demon race who harbor kindness. Heaven cherishes life, and the human race should also embrace kindness. Am I correct?"
The Monkey King's words once again rendered Xu Yi silent.
The Monkey King's words clearly implied that the demon race and the righteous path represented by Xu Yi would still clash.
But Xu Yi's current aspiration was for the demon race not to ally with the Demon race.
The Monkey King's statement was clearly contradictory.
"Xu Yi, I have no prejudice against the human race, and most demon beasts in the demon race are like me. However, sometimes even we cannot control events. But at least for the foreseeable future, I can guarantee that the demon race will not interfere in the affairs between the human race and the Demon race. As for the future..."
The Monkey King shook its head, not elaborating further, but its words conveyed a belief that the human race would ultimately prevail.
And it hoped that Xu Yi, in consideration of its current assistance, would preserve a sliver of hope for the demon race.
Xu Yi eventually agreed.