Master Fen Tuo watched the two women of Immortal City cultivating on the cliff outside, then glanced at Yang Jin in front of her. Her heart was still hesitating.

Shi Feiyang's "game," Master Ren had already made up his mind to enter.

Master Ren had been cultivating alone in Xiao Han Mountain for hundreds of years, without ever descending the mountain, a hermit from the mundane world. This time, however, he would engage with the world, all because of the significant cause and effect in this world, namely Xie Shan and the two women of Immortal City.

Bai Mei Zen Master had made it clear that he would not engage with the world, calmly waiting for his future rebirth in Nirvana. Master Fen Tuo searched her heart, asking herself whether she needed to join in the game.

She had repeatedly calculated that the two treasures of the Holy Mausoleum should end up with Yang Jin, but now the Heavenly Number had become disordered, the stars had shifted, and the pattern had changed.

In fact, for Master Fen Tuo, it was not very important whether Yang Jin got the two treasures of the Holy Mausoleum. It was precisely this ambivalence that made her hesitate. She could either withdraw completely, like Bai Mei Zen Master, and no longer deal with this matter, or she could join Master Ren in confronting Shi Feiyang.

At the moment, those confirmed to join the game were Master Ren and Master You Tan. With these two taking action, victory over the Demon Dragon was beyond doubt, but while defeating him would be easy, dealing with the aftermath would be difficult.

The venerable monks and divine nuns all knew that once they joined forces, Shi Feiyang would certainly release Deng Yin, and it was also possible that he would release the seven Secret Demons of the Heavenly Stars, the Usha. Master Ren had the two women of Immortal City retrieve the Demonic Destruction Treasure Scroll, and he had also sent a message to her to have Hua Wuxie go to the Great Hero Treasure Vault for the Conch Leaf Talisman, and it was not for simply confronting Shi Feiyang, but for facing the demon disaster brought by Deng Yin.

In plain terms, the Demonic Destruction Treasure Scroll and the Conch Leaf Talisman were for dealing with the aftermath.

But having only these two items was not particularly safe; one should also have the Seven Treasures Golden Banner. However, the Seven Treasures Golden Banner was the Mountain Treasure of Zen Master Zhi Gong, who is the 47th Venerable Arhat Ashali Luo under the Tathagata. He meditated in Qinglian Valley of the Great Snow Mountain for 720 years, opening the mountain only once every sixty years. His Seven Treasures Golden Banner, meant for those who were destined, referred to the two women of Immortal City. But normally, the Zen Master's mana sealed the area off so outsiders could not find the entrance, let alone enter.

The Seven Treasures Golden Banner should be handed over to the two women of Immortal City during the ninth opening of the mountain in the next cycle, which meant it would be available three years after the establishment of the Emei Sect, and thus it could not be obtained at the moment.

Master Ren had considered bringing it into the world early, like the Demonic Destruction Treasure Scroll and the Conch Leaf Talisman, but Zen Master Zhi Gong's Buddhist Law was boundless, and he was deep in meditation within Qinglian Valley. Among all beings in the world, only one person might be able to enter early - that was Zen Master Zhi Gong's elder brother, Zen Master Tian Meng. Master Ren planned to have the two women of Immortal City get the Demonic Destruction Treasure Scroll and then ask Xie Shan to request Zen Master Tian Meng's help...

In fact, whether joining the game or renouncing the world, once the apocalypse approached, none would stand by indifferently. Even Bai Mei Zen Master, who had already withdrawn and was preparing for Ascension, would still come out of seclusion to confront the Demon Tribulation.

Speaking of which, the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword that had been taken by Zhu Youmu earlier had a premonition of trouble when Bai Mei Zen Master arrived.

He had been able to bewitch Zhu Youmu not to destroy him and to gradually rely on him. However, he could not deceive Bai Mei Zen Master. If the sword fell into the hands of this big monk, it was definitely doomed to be destroyed.

The sword also looked for opportunities. When Bai Mei Zen Master and Shi Feiyang were confronting each other and debating, it quietly transformed into an inconspicuous wisp of red demon light smoke and left Zhu Youmu's body.

At that time, Bai Mei Zen Master was wholeheartedly trying to mediate peace between both sides and was fully focused on speaking with Shi Feiyang.

As they talked, they continually calculated the causes and effects, as well as the variables of the future. Every word could influence the changes and trends of many matters in the future.

And Zhu Youmu, feeling he had done wrong and expecting to be punished by his teacher, also felt grievances. His thoughts were preoccupied with this and neglected the existence of the demon sword.

After Bai Mei Zen Master finished talking and was about to take Zhu Youmu away, he discovered that the demon sword had already fled and did not mention it, taking Zhu Youmu back to the mountain for secluded cultivation.

After quietly departing, the demon sword did not go elsewhere but returned to the Qingmiao Forest of Yellow Dragon Mountain in Shanxi to find the Elder Ape.

Last time it fell into the Elder Ape's hands, it was a joyous occasion for both sword and wielder. Zhu Youmu and Jiang Xuejun confronted it, and both attacked very abruptly and coordinated perfectly. One began by detonating the Soundless Divine Thunder to disperse the blood light on the surface of the sword, while the other wrapped the sword with the Great Sandalwood Buddha Light to forcibly snatch it away.

Just as Elder Ape was about to counterattack, the other released the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Scissors, nearly clipping off the Ape Elder's head.

Separately, either of the two could beat Elder Ape to a pulp, and with the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword in hand, there was still a slight chance of turning the tables. But with both attacking simultaneously, Elder Ape was left with no choice but to rely on the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Technique out of desperation!

Still, the demon sword was the quickest to seize the opportunity. In the blink of an eye, it recognized that the formidable enemy was beyond the old ape's ability to withstand. It immediately switched allegiances to Zhu Youmu and asked the two not to kill Elder Ape, thereby establishing the "sword's premise" of the Buddha Sword for itself and laying the foundation to later persuade Zhu Youmu to keep it.

At that moment, Elder Ape was seriously injured by the Soundless Divine Thunder unleashed by Jiang Xuejun, spat out a mouthful of blood, and was shaken to the core. The Divine Thunder crafted by Yan Yingmu was designed to destroy both body and soul upon impact, causing severe damage to both physical body and Primordial Spirit; otherwise, it would not effectively counter the Demon Lords.

Yan Yingmu knew her disciple endured many hardships and had made many enemies, so she spared no effort and devoted much time and energy to refining these Thunder Pearls for her, telling her not to use them lightly unless in critical moments.

Jiang Xuejun wanted to test whether the Soundless Divine Thunder could restrain such a demon sword. She struck with one, not only dispersing the blood light on the demon sword but also seriously shaking Elder Ape.

Jiang Xuejun and Zhu Youmu deemed Elder Ape, although a maverick, mostly just hunted female apes in the mountains and seldom did harm. They had been repeatedly cautioned and taught by their teacher over the years, reducing their tempers significantly. Therefore, they did not seek Elder Ape's life. After seizing the sword, they left, leaving the injured Elder Ape cursing to the heavens.

When the Demon Sword returned, Elder Ape was still spitting blood and cursing on the stone bed within the cave, swearing to rigorously practice Immortal Law. Someday, when misfortune and calamity befell Zhu Youmu and Jiang Xuejun, he would seek them out for revenge and grind their bones to dust and scatter their ashes, making sure their body and soul were destroyed!

Elder Ape was brimming with resentment when suddenly a red light flew straight towards him, startling him into a quick reaction. Extending a finger, he released a strand of Taiyin Heavenly Gang Sword Qi to confront it.

The Sword Qi halted the red light, revealing a blood-colored, ancient-looking treasure sword wrapped within. It was none other than the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword that had been snatched away earlier, causing Elder Ape to gasp in surprise.

Elder Ape's first thought wasn't that the Flying Sword had returned on its own—rather, he suspected Zhu Youmu had successfully completed the sacrificial refinement and planned to use the sword to kill him.

Aware of the formidable power of the sword, he quickly spread all ten fingers, releasing ten streams of Sword Qi; five to intercept the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword, and five to probe outside the cave, guarding the entrance.

However, neither Zhu Youmu nor Jiang Xuejun appeared; it was just the Demon Sword, resonating with his Primordial Spirit and recounting everything that had happened since their separation. It said that Zhu Youmu had been discovered by his master, Zen Master Bai Mei, who no longer sought possession of the sword, so it flew back to look for Elder Ape.

Upon hearing this, Elder Ape wondered if such good fortune was possible. At first skeptical, after forming a hand seal and casting a spell, he found that he indeed could communicate with the Demon Sword as naturally as using his own limb.

He had previously spent significant time and effort on refining the sword. After Zhu Youmu seized it, he didn't re-refine or cleanse it, so in a sense, the sword was still his. Even if the sword hadn't actively returned to him, he could have summoned it back by casting a spell from afar.

In fact, not just the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword with a Divine Demon ruling over it, but any top-tier sentient Flying Sword possessed this function.

After reassuring himself several times, Elder Ape was overjoyed. He took the sword in his hands, fondling it and conversing with it, constantly connecting and communicating through his thoughts.

Elder Ape's Mana was formidable; he was among the lofty ranks of Three Immortals and Two Elders. Although there were varying degrees of strength in Mana, there was no "generational gap." In the original work, he had even used Taiyin Heavenly Gang Sword Qi to directly confront in hard battle the Golden Saber Demon Fire unleashed by Shi Pi the Elder, managing a stalemate without losing ground for a short period.

He had always held a wary respect for the Demon Sword, constantly on his guard. If it had remained that way, the Demon Sword could only have slowly influenced his mind rather than directly and completely controlling him.

Having regained the sword after its loss, and with the sword seemingly having returned of its own accord, Elder Ape mentally acknowledged it as his own. He believed he was accepted as its master, and his defensive stubbornness significantly diminished.

The Demon Sword itself was both sweet-tongued and deceitful. Constantly flattering him with titles such as "Immortal Master," it professed that in this lifetime, it recognized Elder Ape as the best master. It dismissed its previous associations with Shi Feiyang and Zhu Youmu, who forcibly took it away. It criticized one for being tainted with Demon Dragon essence and the other with Buddha Light, both disapproved by the Demon Sword, which had long desired to cast them off!

Only when it met Elder Ape did the Demon Sword truly feel a kindred understanding and recognized that alongside such a profoundly blessed master, it could experience the greatest joy. Only when their minds intertwined could the unity of ape and sword unleash its utmost power.

The Demon Sword wasn't just spouting nonsense and lavish praise. Elder Ape possessed the Yue Nu Sword Scripture.

Back in the Warring States Period, the Yue girl Ah Qing encountered Elder Ape; their swordfight became a legend and left behind the Sword Scripture.

This Sword Scripture was preserved by Elder Ape within the wilderness and was passed down through generations of spiritually adept offspring until it reached him. Through his diligent practice, the swordsmanship had become quite distinctive, setting it apart from the techniques of other Sword Immortal Sects of the world.

Many spiritually gifted apes revered Elder Ape as their ancestral master, knowing that he had left behind a Flying Sword. For many years they searched, but all in vain; none found it.

They were unaware that Elder Ape had sealed the very Flying Sword he wielded in life within the Emei Mountain, which ultimately came into the hands of the reincarnation of another monkey, who had been a companion of the Real Man Liu Lao Root with green hair—the same as Yuan Hua's former comrade.

The Demon Sword, knowing what Elder Ape was most proud of, lavished extensive praises on the Yue Nu Sword Scripture and the ten strands of Taiyin Heavenly Gang Sword Qi which, based on that scripture, Elder Ape had tirelessly refined and improved over hundreds of years.

That precisely scratched Elder Ape's itch. The Yue Nu Sword Scripture was indeed his pride, and after years of effort, the Sword Qi he had cultivated greatly surpassed the original framework of the scripture.

Elate, with his defenses down, he became even more in tune with the Demon Sword, manipulating it more naturally than ever.

Yet, it was precisely this closeness that made him more susceptible to the Demon Sword's influence. It began by swaying his emotions—making him happy or, just with a few words, easily provoking his anger.

Latter on, it started affecting his judgment. Gradually gaining more control, it could make him act according to its will.

The Demon Sword then encouraged Elder Ape to practice a particularly powerful-looking Demon Skill that, in reality, left him open-hearted and vulnerable.

One day, after Elder Ape had painstakingly completed the cultivation of the Demon Skill over a hundred days, the Demon Sword rose up and, turning upside down, plunged its tip into Elder Ape's head and penetrated deeply into his body.

"Hahaha! I've finally come back to life! I finally have a compatible body again!"

The "Elder Ape," with blood-red eyes, sat in the cave, bursting into unrestrained laughter.

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