Chapter 112: The Monstrosity in the Valley

Ye Sansi was least intimidated by beasts with erratic attack patterns; dodging them was effortless for him.

Even so, the monster’s hide was incredibly thick and tough. To injure it, he would have to strike with his full strength. Ye Sansi chose to keep dodging, intending to let the beast exhaust itself before launching a counterattack.

After twenty rounds, seeing that it couldn't land a single blow on Ye Sansi, the monster grew furious. It stomped its four feet against the ground, shaking the entire valley as if it were trembling.

The beast lunged forward with a sudden burst of speed. Ye Sansi leaped away, and the creature missed, slamming into a tree.

Ye Sansi looked closely and saw the tree snap, its upper half flying a great distance away. It seemed the beast’s power was truly formidable; had it been a mortal body like his, it would never have survived such a strike.

Though this power represented only half a percent of the monster’s total demonic energy, Ye Sansi found it extremely slow to absorb.

He gathered the extracted demonic energy in his palm, forming a mist-like sphere, and used the Soul-Devouring Technique to absorb it bit by bit—a process far more difficult than usual.

Ye Sansi whispered to himself, "If I force a head-on battle with this monster, the outcome is uncertain, and I don't know if Heaven's Wrath could even harm it. Besides, its power is immense; to kill it with a single sword strike would be a waste. It is better to use the Soul-Devouring Technique to harvest this demonic energy for my own use."

The monster lunged again. Ye Sansi pivoted, dodging a claw, and seized the opportunity to strike the beast’s body with his palm. He instantly activated the Soul-Devouring Technique, drawing out another portion of its demonic energy.

The beast didn't seem to realize the gravity of the situation and continued to attack...

For an hour, Ye Sansi used the Burning Feather-Catching Step to dance around the monster, occasionally striking it to drain its energy, which he then spent time absorbing and refining. He had already consumed fifty percent of the creature's demonic power.

The beast remained undeterred, relentlessly pursuing Ye Sansi. Though it used only one claw, the attacks were swift, and any single strike would have been lethal for Ye Sansi.

Ye Sansi dodged nimbly, intent on storing this energy before continuing the struggle. As long as the beast did not flee, he would drain every bit of its formidable power.

The clash of two potent forces began to take its toll on Sansi. He suddenly felt an unbearable, burning heat within his chest, as if his insides were being seared.

Heaven’s Wrath seemed to sense the danger, flying from his back on its own to circle him.

Gradually, as the demonic energy within him grew stronger, a portion of his divine power rebelled, simultaneously strengthening itself and suppressing the growth of the demonic energy.

Since his divine power was so overbearing, the demonic energy would not submit without a fight.

Heaven’s Wrath was inherently frigid. Sensing the turbulent demonic energy within Sansi, the blade radiated a cold aura, enveloping him and gradually soothing the burning pain in his heart.

Feeling better, Ye Sansi sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and employed the Soul-Devouring Technique to resolve the conflict between the spiritual powers and bring them into balance.

After a moment, he stopped clawing at his scorching chest, calmed his mind, and seeing Heaven’s Wrath in the air, he immediately understood its intent.

"Sword Rain Technique, twelve-fold," Ye Sansi chanted, casting his spell to divide Heaven's Wrath into twelve blades. Six of them circled him at high speed.

Fortunately, Heaven’s Wrath followed his will and did not seek to take the beast’s life; otherwise, the weapon’s inherent bloodthirst would have been difficult to contain. Thus, it only struck a few casual blows, devoid of its freezing venom.

To the surprise of Heaven’s Wrath, the monster remained uninjured after being struck, but the display of power was sufficient. With six divine blades circling above, the pressure was too much for the beast to bear. It looked fearful and retreated several paces.

The other six blades of Heaven’s Wrath circled the periphery, engaging the beast and preventing it from nearing Ye Sansi.

Though the monster didn't fear Ye Sansi, the overbearing and fierce aura of Heaven’s Wrath made it tremble. It swiped a claw, knocking one blade away, but the weapon merely circled in the air and returned.

The beast was sensible enough; after a stalemate of about fifteen minutes, it fled in a blur, vanishing into the depths of the valley.

Though his eyes were closed, Ye Sansi could see everything clearly. He grinned and whispered, "Smart move. I will come to find you again in a few days. I’ve already claimed the remaining fifty percent of your power; I will certainly return for it."

If it had been earlier, the beast might not have been intimidated by Heaven's Wrath, but now, with only half its power remaining, it naturally felt insecure facing a bloodthirsty divine weapon.

The beast likely sensed that Heaven's Wrath was a cold, heartless tool that couldn't kill it even if it tried, but it was a creature of flesh and blood. It knew the previous blows were not full-strength, and if it truly took a direct hit, it would not survive.

Ye Sansi stood up, cast a spell to merge the blades of Heaven's Wrath, brushed the dust from his clothes, and leaped onto the sword. He soared into the sky, heading toward the mountain peak.

He thought to himself, "This valley is indeed inhabited, but it is very dangerous. After such a long fight, my energy is nearly spent. If I stay here alone, I fear there may be more monsters. I shouldn't push my luck; I had best return to the peak."

After another half-hour, the conflict of spiritual energies within Ye Sansi was resolved, and his divine and demonic powers finally reached a balance.

This trip to the valley had been quite fruitful. Though he had nearly been consumed by the power, his divine strength had increased significantly.

"Your Majesty, don't even mention it. I didn't see a trace of game, but I did run into a monster and nearly lost my life."

As he spoke, Ye Sansi noticed the Monarch showed no surprise, as if he had known of the monster’s existence all along.

A moment later, Ye Sansi returned to the peak to find the Monarch still seated, watching him.

Ye Sansi landed. Before he could speak, the Monarch stood up, walked over, and smiled. "Brother Sansi, how was the game in the valley? Did you find any?"

"What? No game? Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

When Ye Sansi asked, the Monarch only smiled without answering.

Ye Sansi scratched his head, puzzled. "Your Majesty, did you know about the monster in the valley before I went? Why didn't you give me a heads-up? If I had known, I could have prepared, and perhaps I could have hunted the game in the valley as well."

The Monarch laughed heartily, patted Ye Sansi on the shoulder, signaled him to sit, and cleared his throat. "Brother Sansi, there is no game in that valley, only that one monster..."

"It was quite good. My demonic energy has increased significantly, though unfortunately, due to my own limitations, I only absorbed fifty percent of its power..."

"Fifty percent?" The Monarch stood up, grasped Ye Sansi’s arm, and asked, "Truly fifty percent?"

Ye Sansi lowered his head in thought. Suddenly, it hit him. He jumped up and shouted to the Monarch, "Your Majesty! The 'game' you spoke of was this monster!"

The Monarch nodded slightly, smiling as he asked, "Brother Sansi, how did you find the taste of the dish I prepared for you?"

"Your Majesty, what do you mean by that? I don't understand."

"Hahaha, that monster in the valley was once my mount. It escaped, wreaked havoc in the mortal realm, and was captured by my father, who severed its head. Who would have known it wouldn't stay dead? It revived. He cut off an arm, and it revived again. Remembering that it had accompanied him for a century and had already died twice, my father spared its life and imprisoned it in the Abyss of the Demon Realm."

"Your Majesty, by using the Soul-Devouring Technique, I can perceive the magnitude of another's demonic energy. Combined with my Eight Treasures Art, I am certain it was fifty percent. There can be no mistake."

The Monarch went from surprised to delighted. "Interesting, truly interesting! Brother Sansi, you are becoming increasingly miraculous."

Ye Sansi scratched his head and laughed. "It is still your foresight that matters, Your Majesty. After battling the creature, I realized how terrifying its power was. Fortunately, however powerful it was before, it now only has half left. Hahaha!"

"Don't mention it. I originally thought the beast's power was so deep that you wouldn't be able to absorb more than half a percent, yet you managed five whole percent!"

Ye Sansi asked, "Then why was this mount kept here?"

"This mount is exceptionally fierce. If released into the mortal world, it would surely cause a catastrophe, moving unpredictably and killing at will. By the time it was caught, it would be too late. Fearing the King of the Demon Realm might do something foolish, I had it secretly sent to the Alien Demon Realm..."

Ye Sansi moved to bow, but remembering the Monarch had forbidden it, he smiled instead. "Your Majesty treats me so well; I have nothing with which to repay you."

The Monarch patted Ye Sansi’s shoulder and said slowly, "Brother Sansi, if you truly wish to repay this kindness, how about you agree to one thing?"

Ye Sansi smiled. "I spent quite some time absorbing and refining that fifty percent of demonic energy. By the way, Your Majesty, how were you so sure I could hold my own against that monster?"

"Hahaha! A mere mount, having only absorbed the grievances and baleful energy of the prison, possessed a great deal of raw power, but in terms of technique and magical arts, it was no match for you. I was never worried. Besides, I was on the peak; had you been in danger, I could have reached you in an instant..."

Ye Sansi quickly replied, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? I am committed to protecting the safety of the Alien Demon Realm. If I did not have this heart, why would I have insisted on staying to help repel the demon armies? My stance remains the same; how could I ever ignore it in the future?"

Hearing this, the Monarch laughed. "Good, very good! With those words, any kindness I show you is well-deserved. It is getting late, and it is time to eat. Shall we return?"

"Your Majesty, name it. If it is within my power, I will do my utmost."

"If you ever attain heaven-reaching power and the Alien Demon Realm faces a catastrophe, I hope you will step in to help. I would be grateful..."

"Yes, yes. Although I'm not as hungry as I was before, I am truly exhausted. Battling that monster took quite a lot out of me. I really want to rest and have a meal; that would be wonderful."

With that, the Monarch took to the air, heading toward the Royal Palace, with Ye Sansi following closely behind.

Halfway there, the Monarch said, "Brother Sansi, go find Elder Peng on your own; I will not accompany you. Tell him about today's events; he will surely be happy for you."

"Very well, Your Majesty." Ye Sansi replied, and the Monarch flew off toward the palace alone.

Ye Sansi watched the Monarch’s retreating figure and smiled to himself, "The Monarch treats me so well. No matter what happens, I will protect the Alien Demon Realm. And Brother Peng, and Sister Rabbit—they are my friends, my family. If anyone dares to harm them, I will ensure they never know a moment's peace for all eternity..."