Chapter 150: Profound Tiger and Strong Monkey King
Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Profound Tiger and Strong Monkey King
Zhu Ge’s Bone Monster Avatar was strange—not at all the kind of avatar he was familiar with.
To Zhu Ge, it felt more like having one personality but two souls.
It was a sensation akin to having an extra head, another pair of hands, and another pair of feet.
Having grown so accustomed to his own body, adapting to the Bone Monster Avatar wasn’t easy.
Fortunately, Zhu Ge had been adapting for a long time, so the Bone Monster Avatar was now capable of moving on its own.
As long as his Bone Monster Avatar could act independently, Hua Liusha could continue protecting his main body while it was in a state of epiphany.
Furthermore, the Bone Monster Avatar could fully operate the Fungus God Destruction Array.
And so, under Zhu Ge’s control, the Seed of the Fungus God flew directly out of his mind and into the body of the Bone Monster Avatar.
"Jianjian."
The Bone Monster Avatar looked at Liu Jianjian. "Be ready to activate the *Demon Hunting Divine Technique* at a moment’s notice."
"I’ll use my fungal threads to control them and suppress their souls instantly, just like I did when I bound the Sword and Axe Mantis. You have to be quick."
"Yes, Master!" Liu Jianjian nodded.
Zhu Ge’s avatar stood its ground, silently sensing its surroundings.
While his main body was lost in its epiphany, the Bone Monster Avatar’s own senses were almost completely blocked.
This state of epiphany affected only the soul of his main body.
’What a strange feeling.’
Looking at his main body, shrouded in a red mist in the distance, Zhu Ge couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder.
’He actually knew why he had suddenly entered this state of epiphany.’
’The slow accumulation of power finally erupting at once was, without a doubt, the most important reason.’
’But there was another reason: confidence!’
’For the longest time, as a member of the Human Race, Zhu Ge had never fought another human of the same level.’
’He was always fighting the Fungus God, battling Demon Beasts, or clashing with the Raincoat Fisherman, who was far beyond his level.’
’This gave him a vague, almost unreal sense of his own strength.’
’He could slaughter Demon Beasts of the same realm as if they were dogs, but could he truly crush a human of the same level?’
’Even after seeing the *Sheji Chart*, Zhu Ge still hadn’t truly answered this question for himself.’
’Subconsciously, Zhu Ge still had no clear measure of where he stood.’
’After all, humans had weapons and equipment, intelligence and strategy, Cultivation Techniques and martial arts.’
However, this trip to Jianshui City had finally made Zhu Ge realize that he was, in fact, very strong.
It didn’t matter if his opponent was human or one of the Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters.
A prodigy!
Zhu Ge was an absolute prodigy!
He far surpassed the level of the Raincoat Fisherman.
The Raincoat Fisherman could be called a genius because he had condensed a true ’intent’—the Fisherman’s Song Intent—while still in the Third Realm.
Moreover, this Fisherman’s Song Intent wasn’t stored within a Martial Arts Heart like Zhu Ge’s; it could be projected and manifested externally.
An intent like that was the reason the Raincoat Fisherman could run roughshod over Red River Prefecture.
Zhu Ge’s Martial Arts Heart was incredibly powerful. The moment he first condensed it, he had simultaneously formed all sorts of phantoms within it.
These phantoms were all hidden within his Martial Arts Heart, unable to be projected externally as a part of his power.
But even so, his Heart of Martial Arts Origin had still paved a smooth path for him to the Third Realm.
He only needed to follow the process of strengthening his Spiritual Power, compressing it, and cultivating his Blood Qi to break through to the Third Realm.
For him, condensing an ’intent’ wasn’t difficult in the slightest.
’It’s just that now, Zhu Ge had a faint feeling that his main body’s epiphany might be even more astounding than he’d anticipated.’
’It’s just... I just announced in Jianshui City that I was recruiting all skilled fighters, and now this suddenly happens...’
The Bone Monster Avatar felt a pang of resignation.
If not for this epiphany, he would be making the Three-Headed Third Realm Essence-Devouring Demon Beast the Palace Guardian Spirit Beast for the Six Paths Palace.
Anyone who saw that would have been impressed.
However, even though he could still capture the Three-Headed Third Realm Essence-Devouring Spirit Beast, his main body was hopelessly lost in its epiphany.
’If his main body hasn’t emerged from its seclusion when the three days are up, who will take charge?’
He had no desire to reveal the existence of his Bone Monster Avatar.
That was his trump card.
Just as he was lost in thought, the avatar’s expression shifted.
"Brother Sword and Axe, your human slave actually entered a state of epiphany? Not bad at all!"
The voice arrived before its owner.
Hearing that deep, booming voice, Zhu Ge’s avatar instantly knew who it was.
Strong Monkey King!
Back then, in order to lure the Raincoat Fisherman into a deadly trap, Zhu Ge had deliberately spread false oral commands everywhere.
Initially, he hadn’t known about the Plague God Sparrow’s existence, so he had planned to have Hua Liusha spread fake commands in the name of beings like the Tiger God and the Red River Dragon Python.
The goal was to encircle the Raincoat Fisherman and finish him off.
But that plan was risky. After all, the Red River Dragon Python had been entrenched in this territory for many years, so Hua Liusha couldn’t just fabricate commands carelessly.
But then the Plague God Sparrow appeared.
So, Zhu Ge had Hua Liusha specifically seek out Demon Beasts that appeared to be exceptionally strong.
He did this because he had discovered that the Raincoat Fisherman disliked clashing head-on with brute-force Demon Beasts.
Following his instructions, Hua Liusha brought back the Profound Tiger and the Strong Monkey King.
What followed was simple: the trapping and killing of the Raincoat Fisherman.
What Zhu Ge hadn’t expected at the time, however, was that the Profound Tiger and the Strong Monkey King would actually take notice of someone as insignificant as him.
Back then, the area had been crawling with First Realm Demon Beasts, and Zhu Ge hadn’t stood out in the slightest.
And now, Zhu Ge was hearing the Strong Monkey King’s voice once again.
"HAHA! Strong Monkey King, I heard from this human slave that you two have some history. Let’s discuss our trip to Nanyue Mianhuang while we admire the new treasure I’ve acquired!"
The Sword and Axe Mantis’s voice was just as boisterous, as if he were inviting an old friend to dinner.
"Sword and Axe, I’ll owe you one for this! Hmm? This place is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and it has the feel of a Human Race array. It couldn’t have been easy for you to find!"
Before the Strong Monkey King had even finished speaking, he and the Sword and Axe Mantis appeared in the sky above the valley.
The two Demon Beasts descended directly, shrinking in size as they landed.
Golden fur billowed around the Strong Monkey King. His true form was that of a Yunnan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, but he now possessed a mostly humanoid shape.
"You’re setting up your new den here?" The Strong Monkey King glanced around, his face a mask of admiration.
"Not bad, not bad at all. This is a great place to build a lair. Huh? Isn’t that the little hedgehog? Hey, little hedgehog, when did you start hiding out here?"
The Strong Monkey King greeted Liu Jianjian with a laugh, as if he’d just noticed her. "You ran off after we surrounded that human last time. Looks like you ended up here with Sword and Axe!"
"Strong Monkey King!" Liu Jianjian put on a timid, frightened act. "I... I was chasing that human outside the valley, and I’ve been here ever since. I stayed until Sword and Axe King arrived."
"HAHA! So that human prodigy is your slave now?" the Strong Monkey King roared with laughter.
"Interesting, very interesting... Huh, there’s a Bone Monster too? And a little Bamboo Spirit? This really is a fine den you’ve found!"
The Strong Monkey King’s Divine Sense swept the area, discovering Zhu Ge’s Bone Monster Avatar.
"Oh right, Sword and Axe, where is that Star-picking Silver you mentioned? Don’t tell me the vein is right beneath us?" the Strong Monkey King asked with a grin.
"I’m naturally sensitive to metals. If I hadn’t sensed the aura of high-grade metal on you, I wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to get here. HAHA."
"The city I’m attacking is about to fall. If we dig up this vein now, I’ll split the city’s resources with you fifty-fifty. How about it?"
"Of course, as for your Jianshui City, Brother Sword and Axe, I won’t take a thing. I’ll help you conquer it and then be on my way. That’s a fair deal, isn’t it?"
After saying his piece, the Strong Monkey King waited with a broad smile for the Sword and Axe Mantis to reply.
However, the Sword and Axe Mantis, who had been smiling just a moment ago, now simply stared at the Strong Monkey King with its eerie compound eyes.
A soft chuckle suddenly echoed from nearby.
"Hehe... you called me ’little hedgehog,’ so I suppose that makes us old acquaintances. For that, I’ll give you a spot near the front."
"My quills are all numbered, you see. Number one is Sword Hero, number two is Sword and Axe. I’ll make you number three. How about you change your name to start with ’Sword,’ too?"