The black bear's entire beast face contorted in terror.
It could feel a terrifying power accumulating within the scarred body behind it.
The black-furred ape intended to self-destruct and drag it down with him.
The black bear was extremely scared and struggled madly, but the hands around its neck tightened.
"Hahahahaha."
A heart-wrenching laughter echoed in its ears.
The black bear closed its eyes in despair, awaiting death.
However, the pain it anticipated did not arrive. Instead, a pressure that involuntarily made it want to submit descended from the heavens.
At some point, the immense force on its arms also vanished.
"Useless trash."
The black bear heard a familiar reprimand. For the first time, without the usual sense of humiliation, it prostrated itself devoutly, "Greetings, Lord."
Monkey King Mountain, previously filled with clamor, was now eerily silent.
All the demon beasts were pinned to the ground by the immense pressure, unable to even lift their heads.
The formidable power brewing within the black-furred ape leader dissipated like wisps of smoke.
It knelt on the ground in humiliation, its heart bleeding with hatred.
So close, just a little closer, and it could have taken all these demon beasts who dared to cause trouble on Monkey King Mountain with it.
It raised its head and glared venomously in the direction of the voice, where a colossal shadow loomed, impossible to look upon directly.
"Monkey King! If an old friend visits, why do you not hasten to appear!"
The cold voice carried an undisguised threat.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
"Monkey King, I know you are here, show yourself quickly!"
This voice was earth-shattering. The clouds in the sky reversed their course, the air vibrated, stirring countless ripples.
Booming roars emanated from within the mountain, a scene akin to the sky collapsing and the earth cracking.
On Monkey Mountain, the assembled demons felt as though they had been struck in the chest, their blood and qi surging. They spat blood and their spirits withered, their breaths becoming faint.
"Such terrifying power, could this be..."
The snow leopard, like other demon beasts, was pressed to the ground, gasping for air.
It couldn't believe that the legendary great demon would personally intervene.
Its previous plan was a joke in the face of such absolute power.
"Since you refuse to appear, I will eliminate all your monkey descendants and ensure your monkey demon race vanishes completely!"
The voice's owner was truly enraged. It let out a cold laugh, opened its mouth, and unleashed a concentrated suction.
An unimaginable suction swept across the entirety of Monkey King Mountain at that moment.
Rocks, grass, and trees were all swept away by this powerful pull, winds and clouds shifting dramatically.
Then, the weakest young monkey demons on Monkey King Mountain were drawn in.
These young monkey demons, most of them newly born and weak in cultivation, were the most precious descendants of Monkey King Mountain.
The black-furred ape knew the brutality of war and feared the demise of the young monkey demons in this battle, so it had hidden them in the most secret stone cave on Monkey King Mountain.
However, its prepared contingency proved useless at this moment.
The young monkey demons let out piercing screams, and some even exploded in mid-air under the immense suction, raining down blood.
The black-furred ape's eyes became bloodshot, and its mouth filled with a coppery taste, letting out wheezing sounds.
This cannot be, this cannot be!
"Sky Swallowing Python, you have gone too far."
A majestic yet slightly weary voice, like a gentle breeze, dispersed the colossal suction.
The young monkey demons fell from the sky like raindrops, only to be caught by a gentle force and softly placed on the ground.
The young monkey demons sitting on the ground were still somewhat confused, but more demon beasts had reacted, their faces showing excitement.
"Monkey King, you have finally deigned to appear."
The Sky Swallowing Python chuckled lightly, a flicker of surprise in its cold pupils.
The news of the Monkey King's injury had been told to it by Zhi Duo, the Nine-Tailed White Fox.
It had been half-believing at the time, but was later persuaded by the examples provided by the Nine-Tailed White Fox.
This attack on Monkey Mountain was its own volunteering; it simply wanted to test the Monkey King's current condition.
However, up to this point, the Monkey King had not revealed much, leaving it uncertain.
It had clashed with the Monkey King before, but the outcome had been quite dire.
It had no chance to retaliate under the Monkey King's power. Had it not been for the dissuasion of other demon beasts, its snake gall would have been dug out.
For this, it had harbored resentment for many years, and the trauma remained indelible.
The Sky Swallowing Python cautiously scanned its surroundings, but found that it could not detect the Monkey King's presence at all, as if the Monkey King wasn't even on Monkey King Mountain.
This made the Sky Swallowing Python even more incredulous and began to doubt the authenticity of the Monkey King's injury.
"Sky Swallowing Python, I do not wish to break my vows. You may leave."
The Monkey King's voice came from an unknown location, yet it was clearly heard by all the demon beasts on Monkey King Mountain.
Both the demon beasts who had come to kill and the monkey demons living on Monkey King Mountain sensed an undeniable incongruity in these words.
This did not sound like words spoken by the Monkey King, renowned for his combat prowess.
The piled-up bones of demon beasts killed by the Monkey King were almost as tall as Monkey King Mountain.
When facing invading demon beasts, wouldn't the Monkey King simply strike them dead? Why would he be so amiable?
It was as if a venomous snake had its fangs removed, or a tiger had its sharp claws dulled, losing its inherent sharpness.
Upon hearing this, the Sky Swallowing Python felt as if it had swallowed a calming pill.
The news was accurate; the Monkey King must be injured, otherwise, he would never be so agreeable.
A surge of battle intent, making its blood boil with excitement, immediately welled up within the Sky Swallowing Python's body.
Now was the perfect time for it to exact its revenge.
It wanted to devour the Monkey King's brain raw and then use the Monkey King's bones for cooking to vent its anger.
"Hahaha, Monkey King, you are old! It's time you abdicate the War God position! From this day forth, I, the Sky Swallowing Python, am the number one War God of the demon race!"
The Sky Swallowing Python laughed wildly, its hundreds of feet long snake tail swinging violently, stirring up monstrous waves of energy and smashing towards Monkey King Mountain.
If this tail strike landed true, at least hundreds of demon beasts would perish in this single blow.
Bang!
A deafening roar echoed through the heavens, making all the demon beasts' ears tremble and their minds falter.
But all the demon beasts ignored their own injuries and looked with shocked eyes at the majestic figure in the distance.
"It's the Monkey King."
Many demon beasts, while spitting blood and trembling, were overcome with emotion, their excitement even more fervent than that of the monkey demons.
They had come to Monkey King Mountain this time precisely because they had heard that the Monkey King was in trouble, which was why they dared to follow the black bear.
If the Monkey King had appeared a day earlier, no demon beast would have dared to harbor any ill intentions towards Monkey King Mountain.
The Monkey King's status was deeply ingrained in their hearts, unshakable even by the new demon king.
Seeing that the Monkey King was unharmed and as majestic as ever, they couldn't help but be happy for him, and even began to regret their previous actions.
The three bear brothers' eyes were now devoid of their usual brilliance, their fear unspeakable.
They had been deceived.
The Monkey King was still alive.
Their death was imminent.