Chapter Forty-Five: The Nine Seals of Mountain Opening

“There is something within your territory that we require.” Old Wu remained unmoved, his eyes flickering as he stared at the silver-furred demon ape. The aura surrounding him formed an invisible shield, resisting the waves of sound, and he spoke coldly. As he spoke, his palm slowly tightened.

“Something you need? How could there be anything in the lands of the beast tribe that your human kind desires?” The silver demon ape was taken aback, asking with a hint of restraint in its crazed gaze.

“If there was nothing, why would we risk so much to venture into this perilous place?” Old Wu replied.

“Then tell me, what is it that you seek?” The silver-furred demon ape’s massive eyes shifted as it exhaled heavily.

Old Wu pondered for a moment, then, under the demon ape’s scrutiny, drew his slightly clenched hand from his sleeve and pointed toward the stone door embedded in the wall behind the ape.

“What we seek is within. I wonder if you would allow us entry.”

The silver demon ape turned its massive head, following the direction indicated by the grey-robed elder, and found that he was pointing at the stone door at the base of the cliff. For a moment, it was stunned, then a furious roar erupted: “Impossible! Humans, you will never set foot in that place. It is forbidden to my tribe!” The muffled shout echoed across the demon ape territory.

The mercenaries, who had kept their distance out of fear of the demon ape, heard its enraged cry and cast their gazes at the mountain wall and the ancient stone door. Their eyes were filled with surprise; who would have thought that behind such an inconspicuous door lay the forbidden grounds of the demon ape tribe, and that their mission was to retrieve something from within?

With this realization, many of them felt a surge of greed as they looked at the stone door. Yet, recalling Old Wu’s terrifying strength at the Origin realm—and the four martial attendants beside him, whose blood aura was so potent that it inspired dread—they quickly concealed their greed, leaving only bitter smiles.

From afar, Ye Cheng’s gaze was also fixed on the unremarkable stone door set in the cliff, his eyes flickering as if pondering something.

“The forbidden grounds of the demon ape tribe… Hah! Boy, you might be able to fish in troubled waters later. Perhaps you’ll find something worthwhile,” Old Mu’s laughter echoed in Ye Cheng’s mind.

“I wonder what precious treasure lies behind that stone door, drawing the strongmen of Eternal City from so far away and causing such a commotion,” Ye Cheng mused.

“Just go inside and see for yourself. No need to dwell on it,” Old Mu replied.

At these words, Ye Cheng nodded, having already considered this. Though Old Wu was powerful, he would never dare enter under the elder’s nose by himself. Yet with Old Mu’s presence, the risks to Ye Cheng’s life seemed minimal.

“To enter that stone door, what I need now is the right opportunity,” Ye Cheng whispered, his eyelids drooping slightly. Then he turned his gaze back to the battlefield, focusing on the elder and the ape.

“Is that so?” As the silver demon ape erupted in rage, Old Wu smiled calmly, as if he had expected the refusal to allow entry. Yet, suddenly, a fierce expression appeared on his face.

“In that case, forgive me, but we’ll have to force our way in.” Old Wu’s words spread quietly through the region. As soon as he finished speaking, a surge of origin energy burst forth from his body. With a flick of his finger, a beam of energy shot from his fingertip, striking toward the silver demon ape.

“Despicable human!” The silver demon ape bellowed at the sudden attack, then swept its massive palm downward, dispersing Old Wu’s strike in midair. To the shock of all watching, it then hefted a boulder the size of a small mountain and hurled it fiercely at Old Wu.

The incoming boulder, five times larger than the ape itself, crashed down with such force that many mercenaries blanched in fear.

Staring at the mountain-sized rock bearing down on him, Old Wu’s expression darkened. He jabbed his finger again, unleashing another violent surge of energy, forming a stream that collided with the flying boulder.

“Boom!”

A thunderous explosion shook the battlefield. The enormous stone, struck by the energy stream, shattered instantly into countless fragments, raining down like a storm of stones.

“Old Wu is truly formidable…” Ye Cheng was shocked by the elder’s clean and decisive strike. He asked inwardly, “Teacher, who do you think will win?”

Old Mu in the jade stone was silent for a moment before replying, “Judging by their strength, the powerhouse from Eternal City and the silver demon ape are evenly matched. It’s hard to say.”

“Roar!”

Seeing its thrown boulder destroyed, the silver demon ape let out a series of furious howls. Its massive form transformed into a silver blur, shooting toward Old Wu. Its huge fist clenched tight, then slammed forward, unleashing a wave of black origin energy, wild and violent, aimed fiercely at Old Wu.

“Hmph!” At the charging silver form, Old Wu snorted coldly. His palms moved swiftly, forming intricate hand seals. As the seals completed, origin energy surged wildly from within him.

“Origin Shield!”

With a muffled shout, the energy he had just drawn in burst forth, forming a massive shield before him. As the shield formed, the demon ape’s attack arrived.

“Boom!”

The shield cracked quickly under the black energy’s impact. The violent collision sent shockwaves through the area, flinging nearby demon apes aside. Even Ye Cheng, standing at a distance, felt the tremendous force.

“Mountain-Cleaving Nine Seals!”

Old Wu’s face grew solemn. His shout thundered through the demon ape nest as he suddenly soared into the air. His palms wove seals at blinding speed. A torrent of origin energy surged from his body, gathering the ambient energy between heaven and earth around him and funneling it into the seals.

“Buzz!”

As the energy poured in, the seals in Old Wu’s hands emitted dazzling white light, their power growing ever stronger.

“Boom!”

White light erupted violently, and the seals in Old Wu’s hands shot forth, transforming into three enormous palm prints that pressed down in succession toward the silver demon ape below.