socalfunplaces Chapter 868 Monkey Demon
Chapter 868 Monkey Demon
Long Jiao leaned against a tree trunk, casually toying with a vibrant green banyan leaf, which twirled and danced between her fingers. Her recovery was faster than Long Tian's; the scratches on her arm from the knife cuts had scabbed over, turning a dark brown, though her face remained pale and her breath was slightly weak. At that moment, heavy footsteps approached, and a burly, black-faced monkey demon leaped before her. This monkey demon was as tall as a person, covered in black, needle-like fur, and carried a smooth iron rod. It was one of the leaders of the demon race in this misty region, its cultivation having reached the late Golden Core stage.
Long Jiao glanced at it, her eyes filled with the innate contempt of the dragon race—these mortal demons, at most comparable to the Golden Core stage of human cultivators, could be crushed with a single finger under normal circumstances. If it weren't for her brother's serious injuries and need for time to recover, she wouldn't have bothered cooperating with these "ants." But right now, she did need them to hold off the human cultivators and buy time for her brother.
"What are you going to do?" Long Jiao's voice was as cold as ice, carrying an unquestionable majesty. Even though he was still recovering from serious injuries, the pressure from the dragon clan made the monkey demon subconsciously lower his body.
The monkey demon grinned, revealing two rows of sharp fangs, his tone tinged with a hint of smug satisfaction: "Reporting to Lady Long Jiao, I have already divided my men into three groups. In the Misty Valley to the east, I've released a bewitching miasma that will make anyone dizzy just by smelling it; in the Soul-Severing Cliff to the west, I've attracted man-eating flowers that only eat living creatures; and in the Spider Forest to the south, I've had poisonous spiders spin webs that are incredibly sticky, specifically targeting those who are alone. If this continues, it won't be long before they run out of their pills and strength, and then they'll be nothing but fish on a chopping block. You have absolutely nothing to worry about!"
Long Jiao knew exactly what the monkey demon was up to—he simply wanted to use the dragon clan's name to intimidate others and gain some benefits afterward, preferably by absorbing some dragon energy to improve his cultivation. A barely perceptible sneer appeared on her lips, but her tone softened, carrying a hint of reassurance: "Well done."
She paused, then tossed out the bait she had prepared beforehand. Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the monkey demon's ears: "As long as you cooperate obediently, once my brother's injuries heal, my brother and I will take you to the Dragon Clan's territory when we leave." Seeing the monkey demon's eyes flash with wild joy and his breathing quicken, she slowly added, "But let me make this clear beforehand: the Dragon Clan's territory isn't for just anyone. We'll only bring those who are capable. As for those useless underlings, they can stay in this forest."
The monkey demon's eyes darted around, its mind racing with calculations. It didn't care about the lives of its subordinates—they would only be a burden and reduce its share of the spoils. As long as it could go with the dragon demon to the dragon's territory, even just to the edge, and absorb some dragon energy, it might be able to break through its bottleneck and become a true demon immortal. Then, who among the demons in this forest would dare to disobey it?
"Yes!" The monkey demon nodded emphatically without hesitation, patting his chest to assure her. His dark chest thumped loudly. "I will do my best to ensure that those humans don't get close to you, my lady! As long as I can follow Lady Long Jiao, I don't care about anything else!"
Long Jiao ignored it and turned to look in Long Tian's direction, her brows furrowed slightly. Her brother's injuries were healing more slowly than expected, and the flow of dragon energy in his chest was still sluggish. She hoped that these demons could hold out longer and not disappoint her.
In the distance, the faint screams of human cultivators drifted in, mingled with the roars of demons and the rustling of vines. The monkey demon, hearing this, grew even more smug, grinned, and, carrying its iron rod, turned and leaped into the mist, clearly to oversee the battle. Silence returned beneath the banyan tree, with only the faint glow of dragon energy slowly floating in the mist, like two stars sunk in the deep sea, quietly awaiting the storm.
Long Jiao knelt beside Long Tian's stone bed, made of thousand-year-old cold jade, which exuded a bone-chilling coolness that actually helped suppress the burning pain of Long Tian's wound. She stared at the hideous wound on his chest—a scar so deep it revealed the bone, still bearing the charred marks of divine power, the scales at the edges curled up, gleaming with a deathly gray. With each breath Long Tian took, his chest rose and fell with difficulty, as if a red-hot iron was stuck in his throat, causing even the stone bed to tremble slightly.
Long Jiao reached out, her fingertips gently brushing against his sweat-dampened forehead, the strands clinging to his skin, still burning hot. Her voice was extremely low, as if afraid of disturbing his slumber, yet every word carried an unwavering determination: "Brother, don't worry. No matter how great the difficulties ahead, whether it's mountains of knives and seas of fire or bottomless abyss, even if it costs me my life, I will find a way to get you out of here. I will never let you fall into the hands of those greedy humans, to be skinned alive and have your core extracted."
Long Tian's eyelids trembled slightly, tiny beads of sweat clinging to his long, thick eyelashes, yet he remained unable to open them. This injury was far too severe; the dragon essence within his dantian had almost dissipated into mist. Had his father not forcibly given him the family's most precious treasure, the "Heart-Protecting Dragon Scale," before his departure, that sword wound imbued with divine power would likely have already obliterated his soul. At this moment, his consciousness was hazy, as if trapped in an endless quagmire. Long Jiao's words seemed to travel through a thick layer of mist, indistinct and unclear. He could only vaguely make out the words "take her out," and a weak whimper escaped her throat, like the mournful cry of a wounded cub, as a response.
Long Jiao turned to look outside the cave. She had used her innate dragon energy to create three layers of illusions at the entrance, the overlapping illusions resembling flowing water, completely concealing the cave. Through the gaps in the illusions, she could vaguely hear the roars of the demons fighting outside, mixed with the crisp sounds of clashing weapons and the screams of the dying. She knew in her heart that these gathered demons were merely rogue cultivators; the strongest among them, the monkey demon, had only just entered the Transformation stage. Before a true human powerhouse, they were utterly vulnerable, not even worth a second.
But it doesn't matter. They are pawns, bargaining chips used to buy time. Long Jiao's fingertips traced the edge of the stone bed, the coolness of the jade clearing her muddled mind a little—as long as she could hold on for a moment longer, she could have more time to help Long Tian organize his scattered dragon essence, and more opportunities to find a way to break through.
In the open space outside the cave, the monkey demon squatted on a giant rock several feet high, its scarlet eyes like two flickering will-o'-the-wisps, scanning the dark mass of demons behind it. These creatures were of various shapes and sizes: there were mountain spirits with blue faces and fangs, drool dripping from their mouths; there were fox monsters with nine long tails, their eyes darting around; and there were bears carrying giant axes, panting heavily... all of them had been tricked into giving the monkey demons "slots for cultivation in the Dragon Clan's secret realm" over the past few days.