Chapter 161: It Seems the Boss Has Bit the Dust

Zhou Yi’s hand stopped just an inch away from the monkey-like man’s eyes!

Without a word, he stared fixedly at the creature. The thing seemed somewhat single-minded, but it was undoubtedly a formidable foe. For now, borrowing the power of the stone egg allowed him to keep it under control, but there was no guarantee that would last.

Therefore, he had to kill it before he collapsed.

There was nothing to ponder or hesitate about. Once he went down, this monkey-like creature would be the very first to turn on them and slaughter all four of them.

"My apologies, but you had better speak continuously, or my patience is very limited."

Gone was the previous toughness of the monkey-like man. As he looked at Zhou Yi, he couldn't even wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Dropping any false pride, he said directly:

"My brother and I are twins. I simply suffered a deviation during my cultivation, which caused my bones to shrink into this ghastly shape, neither human nor ghost. The moment he met with trouble, I sensed it immediately and sought out Master Cao of the Penal Hall.

Master Cao said he couldn't track your whereabouts. Before I could leave, Master Cao sent word to me, saying that one group had come here and that he would help me open the gate of light, which is how he sent me over."

Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow, staring into the creature's eyes. Looking closer now, he saw that the face was not only covered in hair, but also intertwined with white hair, suggesting the being was indeed quite old.

"Master Cao told you that we killed your elder brother?"

The monkey-like man closed his eyes and let out a slight sigh.

"No, he only said there were three people who left a deep impression on him: one called Black Panther, another a woman who could use fireballs, and the most special one, a person who used water-attribute techniques. He said you had something on you."

Zhou Yi's throat suddenly tightened.

The sensation of being spied upon instantly lowered the temperature around him by several degrees. Could someone know about the stone egg and that this object was bound to him?

Reaching out, Zhou Yi grabbed the creature by the throat.

"Did he say what kind of thing it was?"

The monkey-like man smiled.

It was a desolate smile, and the blood at the corner of his mouth grew thicker. The earlier beating had already caused severe internal damage, and he could feel his time running out. Self-mockery washed over his face; after all, having been used by others, saying anything now was useless.

"Ha, it seems there really is something, but so what if there is..."

Before he could finish, Zhou Yi had already hoisted him into the air.

"Tell me what he said, or what he perceived—that is what I am most interested in. Tell me, and I will at least grant you a quick death. Otherwise, having to watch your own internal organs being pulled out, sliced, seasoned, and stuffed back in isn't a very pleasant feeling!"

The monkey-like man shook his head.

"It’s not that I won't tell you; I genuinely don't know. I thought he was just deceiving me to use me as a tool, but looking at it now, perhaps he was telling the truth."

The moment he uttered the final word, the monkey-like man’s eyes seemed fit to burst. His entire body swelled up, expanding again and again. His shrunken, 1.4-meter-tall frame grew several sizes larger, causing the iron wires and bars wrapped around him to stretch thin until they finally snapped with a loud bang.

Zhou Yi watched and smiled.

Because the very first thing the creature did upon breaking the iron wires was not to attack him, but to turn and try to flee.

Naturally, the monkey-like man could guess that Zhou Yi’s next move would be to silence him. Knowing so many secrets, especially those involving the stone egg on Zhou Yi, left no room for hesitation—he had to be eliminated.

With a flick of Zhou Yi’s wrist, a flurry of water arrows descended like a storm of silver needles. Before the creature had run more than a few steps, it clutched its head and howled, crouching on the ground. Visible to the naked eye, its head, arms, and shoulders were pierced with bloody punctures. Blood gushed out in increasing amounts, and its enlarged body immediately began to deflate.

Zhou Yi leaped forward, darting behind the creature. An ice arrow drove straight into the back of the creature's head, piercing all the way through to the front. Life vanished in an instant, and at that moment, Zhou Yi almost felt as though the monkey-like man let out a sigh of relief.

The corpse dropped to its knees before crashing heavily to the ground, its massive body shrinking back to its original size.

He turned around, intending to call the Fatty and Cheng Zhi out to handle the aftermath. He couldn't just leave the corpse exposed in the wilderness; otherwise, it would be hard to explain in this world.

Of course, the most important thing was to find a place to rest. According to the stone egg's words, would he fall into a deep coma for a long time afterward, or would he become the next stone statue?

Before he could finish the thought, the surge of power within Zhou Yi was instantly drained. Piercing pain wracked his body from head to toe. Before he could react, he passed out.

Cheng Zhi struggled to his feet, took in the situation, and patted the Fatty.

"Quick, let's go check on the master. It seems the master killed that thing."

The Fatty opened his mouth, coughing as if he might drop dead the next second, and used his sleeve to wipe the blood from his lips. Sofia, who had been placed on the table, was also on her last breath.

"You watch Sofia, I'll go carry the boss back!"

Cheng Zhi shook his head.

"Sofia won't wake up. I'll go with you. We need to carry the boss back immediately. I'll go check if that thing is dead; even if it's dead, we have to take it with us. We can't leave it here."

The Fatty nodded, and the two of them supported each other as they hurried to Zhou Yi's side. The Fatty reached out to test for breath, turning pale with fright and stammering incoherently.

"Oh no, the... the... the boss seems to have kicked the bucket!"

Cheng Zhi was stunned. He quickly crouched down and indeed could not detect any breathing or pulse. Cheng Zhi glanced up at the Fatty, biting his lip. Despite his worry, his mind was becoming clearer.

"Don't panic, we mustn't scare ourselves. The master will definitely be fine. Quickly carry him to the car and let's head back to our stronghold at the foot of the mountain. I'll drag that thing along. Let's move fast."

As he spoke, he took off his coat. In truth, every one of their clothes was in tatters, making them look little different from beggars.

Covering the monkey-like man's face, they dragged the body toward the vehicle.

The corpse was tossed into the trunk, wrapped securely in plastic sheeting so that it no longer looked like something that had once been alive. The closer one looked, the more it resembled a piece of hunted game.

Sofia was carried by the Fatty and placed in the passenger seat, after which he cradled Zhou Yi, supporting his head to minimize the jolting of the car. Judging by the way Zhou Yi felt when he was picked up, it seemed as though his entire body was shattered.

When the car stopped at the courtyard at the foot of the mountain, the Fatty didn't get out. He whispered to Cheng Zhi:

"We can deal with the thing in the back later. We should take the boss and Sofia to the hospital, or at least head into town."

Cheng Zhi hesitated as well.

He truly didn't know how to choose at this moment. Yet, deep down, he harbored a reluctance to take Zhou Yi to a hospital. With injuries like these, sending him there would only result in an immediate critical condition notice, skipping surgery entirely.

As he pondered, Sofia in the passenger seat opened her eyes. She coughed, waiting for her vision to focus before glancing at Cheng Zhi in the driver's seat, then closed her eyes once more. She was merely too weak, but she had heard every word of their conversation clearly.

"Don't go to the hospital. Just go to the room. Put us together. I will use the spirit stones to try and help heal his injuries; the hospital genuinely cannot treat this. Besides, burn that thing and bury the ashes deep."

With that, Sofia flicked her wrist, and over twenty light-blue spirit stones tumbled onto the floor of the passenger side.

"Once you've settled us, the two of you should also find a place to absorb them. We are far too weak!"

Even the Fatty nodded in agreement at this. They were indeed far too weak. If not for the boss risking his life today, all four of them would have died. At this thought, a sourness rose in the Fatty's nose, and his eye sockets turned red.

"If the boss hadn't risked his life to finish off that monkey-like freak, all four of us would have died right there. Since the two of us survived and aren't dead yet, it at least proves the boss is temporarily okay. Alright, let's not waste time moving around. Quickly carry Sofia and the boss together, and we'll deal with that creature. Afterward, we'll spend all our time cultivating and absorbing the spirit stones. I refuse to believe we're so incompetent—with resources this good, if we can't master it, we'd be letting these spirit stones down."

Cheng Zhi nodded and carefully scooped up Sofia.

The Fatty opened the car door with utmost care, then lifted Zhou Yi down, supporting him almost flatly out of fear that a single misstep would cause him further pain.

Once they laid the two down, Cheng Zhi and the Fatty were dripping with nervous sweat.

"If Miss Sofia has no other arrangements, we'll go cremate that fellow!"

Sofia nodded, and the two men stepped outside. Sofia's own injuries were severe—the wound on her back was deep enough to expose bone. She had simply been suppressing it all along, otherwise traumatic tension pneumothorax might have developed by now.

Sofia opened her storage case, piling a large mound of spirit stones between the two of them. Remembering the small stone Zhou Yi had previously given her, she reached out to touch the control panel on Zhou Yi's wrist. The instant her fingers made contact, a warning voice barked out:

"Audacious!"