Firmament Sword

The Golden Flood Dragon said, somewhat embarrassed, "It's not quite that exaggerated..."

"So you did have something in mind?" Master Mao was having none of it. He stared coldly at the Golden Flood Dragon and sneered, "I've always wanted to make a bow. I've already got the bow itself, I'm just missing a string..."

"Master Mao... I truly never intended to harm any of you! If anything were to happen to you, wouldn't I suffer the consequences as well?" the Golden Flood Dragon said with an aggrieved look.

"I now seriously doubt every single word you say!" Master Mao gave the Golden Flood Dragon a distrustful look and sneered. "I refuse to believe that you don't have some other scheme brewing in that head of yours."

"Well... I do have a selfish motive, ahem..." the Golden Flood Dragon said helplessly. "Within my race... my status is low, and I'm often bullied. I brought you all back this time to show off a bit and intimidate my fellow kinsmen..."

"That reason... is a bit of a stretch." Master Mao extended a paw to lick it, casually revealing his sharp claws that glinted with a cold light as he spoke nonchalantly.

"The king of my race... will certainly be very interested in Young Master Xu's origins." Left with no other choice, the Golden Flood Dragon finally confessed its true thoughts.

Monkey glanced at Xu Luo. He had already guessed Xu Luo's origins for the most part, but since Xu Luo hadn't mentioned it himself, he naturally wouldn't press the matter.

Now that the Golden Flood Dragon had brought it up, it was difficult for Xu Luo to keep concealing things from Monkey. After all, Monkey had even told him such a secret matter concerning his uncle.

"Brother Hui, it's not that I meant to hide it, it's just..." Xu Luo looked at Monkey, feeling rather guilty.

Monkey waved his hand magnanimously. "Doesn't everyone have a few secrets? I have no intention of prying, and I certainly don't blame you!"

"Brother Hou, you're a class act!" Master Mao chimed in, buttering him up.

"But before we leave the Vast Mountains, there's something I need to do," Monkey said, looking at Xu Luo seriously. "It's a little dangerous, so you can choose to wait here for me."

Xu Luo didn't hesitate. "Brother Hui, that sounds a bit distant. You may say you're going to that Supreme Great Sect for your uncle, but you're also helping me immensely, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Whatever you need to do, just say the word. If I can help, I will not refuse!"

"Then, thank you!" Monkey said with sincere gratitude. He then explained, "Years ago, that giant toad didn't get along with my uncle. After my uncle disappeared, that toad stole a precious treasure from my Golden Monkey Race. Now that we have to go to that Supreme Great Sect, I plan to steal that treasure back first."

"The Monkey King... are you talking about the Chaos Heaven Armor?" the Golden Flood Dragon interjected.

Monkey glanced at the Golden Flood Dragon. "You sure know a lot, you little worm."

The Golden Flood Dragon paid no mind to Monkey's moniker, exclaiming in shock, "So the Chaos Heaven Armor really is in the hands of the Infinite Saint Emperor! I heard the king of my race mention it before..."

As it spoke, the Golden Flood Dragon suddenly clamped its mouth shut.

Monkey sneered. "That big worm in your clan must be laughing at me, right? Hmph. A few little worms. I can't be bothered with them!"

The Golden Flood Dragon didn't dare to argue, shrinking to the side with a wronged expression.

Monkey looked at Xu Luo and said, "So? Do you dare make this trip with me?"

Xu Luo smiled. "I can't just stand by and watch when it comes to your business, Brother Hui. Of course I'll go. It's also a perfect opportunity. I want to see for myself just how powerful that Infinite Saint Emperor really is!"

"Don't..." Monkey scratched the soft fur on his head, the corner of his mouth twitching. "If that's what you're thinking, you'd be better off just staying here and waiting for me to get back. Didn't you hear me say we're going to *steal*? That hideous toad... as much as I hate its guts, I have to admit one thing: it's strong! It's *extremely* strong! You and I might seem pretty powerful, but all it would take is a single thought from that thing, and we'd be turned to ash!"

"He's that strong?" Master Mao exclaimed in disbelief.

"Stronger than you can imagine!" Monkey said with a grave expression. "The difference in our realms is a gap that combat power simply can't bridge! Do you know why people from Xi Hezhou don't dare enter the Vast Mountains? It's because of the one Emperor and two Saint Emperors! In reality, whether it's the eighteen kings or the twenty-eight kings, they're only equivalent to the Saint Realm among human Martial Artists. They're not weak, but they're certainly not enough to strike fear into the outside world!"

"My race's king... has actually said the same thing," the Golden Flood Dragon chimed in.

Monkey looked at Xu Luo. "I know you have a warrior's heart, but I'm telling you, get any ideas about provoking that toad out of your head right now. Otherwise... you'll die a horrible death, and you'll drag a lot of people down with you."

After listening, Xu Luo nodded and said, "I was being reckless. Don't worry, I won't do anything impulsive."

"You can't possibly understand that kind of power without seeing it for yourself. Let me give you an analogy," Monkey said to Xu Luo seriously. "You and I... we're like an egg. But that hideous toad is a mountain!"

Xu Luo's expression finally shifted. He asked in shock, "Is the gap really that huge?"

"It is!" Monkey said, trying to drill the point home. He gave Xu Luo a wry smile. "So when you said you wanted to take on that hideous toad, you nearly scared me to death!"

"So where does the Infinite Saint Emperor rank among the experts of the entire Divine Domain?" Xu Luo asked.

"Top-tier!" Monkey said. "Among the known powerhouses, he's considered top-tier, but not at the absolute peak. Someone like an Emperor Venerable, that's the peak... And what I'm saying only covers the known ones. This doesn't even take into account the forbidden zones within the Divine Domain."

Xu Luo nodded in understanding. He remembered Monkey had previously mentioned personally seeing a giant elephant, whose strength was no less than the hideous toad's, being poisoned to death by finger-sized ants. He had also seen a beautiful, palm-sized butterfly make an entire mountain peak disappear with a flap of its wings.

This meant that many regions of the Divine Domain were home to even more terrifying beings.

"The path through the Divine Domain is long and arduous," Xu Luo couldn't help but sigh.

Monkey clapped Xu Luo on the shoulder. "Brother, how old are you? Thirty at most, if that. When I was your age, I was still spending my days stealing peaches and chasing butterflies. My strength was nowhere near the Saint Realm..."

"Don't worry, I won't give up. No matter how high the mountains on the path ahead, I will conquer them!" Xu Luo declared.

"That's the spirit! Now that's the brother I know!" Monkey said, laughing heartily.

Then, Monkey led Xu Luo toward the territory of the Infinite Saint Emperor... also known as the hideous toad.

Master Mao and Xiaojin remained behind at Monkey's cave.

They had wanted to go too but were sternly forbidden by Monkey. This was no game. Their strength was insufficient, and they would only increase the risk by going along.

"Back in the day, my uncle gave that hideous toad a brutal beating. He said that for something so ugly to be out scaring people was a wicked deed, so he thrashed it good and swore to beat it every time he saw it... He beat it so badly that the toad didn't dare show its face to my uncle for over a hundred years."

Speaking of the past, Monkey's face was filled with a happy smile. Xu Luo could tell that Monkey deeply admired his uncle and that their bond was profound.

"But then, when news came that something had happened to my uncle, the first thing that hideous toad did—after confirming the news was true—was to storm the ancestral lands of the Golden Monkey Race. It went on a rampage. Although it didn't kill anyone, it severely injured many members of the Golden Monkey Race. In the end, it stole the Chaos Heaven Armor and declared that my uncle would have to come and get it himself!"

As he spoke, Monkey bared his teeth in hatred and snarled, "If my uncle really came back, that toad would be so scared it'd piss itself and wouldn't dare show its face!"

The corner of Xu Luo's mouth twitched. 'This uncle of Monkey's is certainly no saint either,' he thought. 'Beating someone up just because they're ugly, so badly that they hide for over a century... that's pretty tyrannical.'

As if reading Xu Luo's mind, Monkey explained, "Actually, my uncle didn't beat it up because it's ugly. That was just an excuse. My uncle despised it for its overwhelming bloodlust—it had devoured millions of humans. But from our perspective, that's not really a big deal, so my uncle couldn't use that as a reason to go after it. He could only say it was ugly."

Xu Luo gave a wry smile. "That makes sense. It's like when humans hunt beasts for food; no one finds that strange."

Monkey nodded. "Exactly. But my uncle always had a soft spot for humans. Although now... probably not anymore."

"Maybe your uncle's had different experiences over the years," Xu Luo said offhandedly.

"I hope so. I miss him a lot," Monkey said.

"That Chaos Heaven Armor... do you know where the Infinite Saint Emperor has it hidden?" Xu Luo asked, thinking of their goal.

"I do." Monkey nodded. "That hideous toad is supremely confident in itself. It has a treasure vault filled with all sorts of priceless artifacts. The location of this vault is known to almost every creature of status in the entire Vast Mountains. But no one dares go there looking to die."

"So, Brother Hui... what are your chances this time?" Xu Luo asked, looking at Monkey. He believed that even though Monkey claimed he wasn't very smart, he wouldn't knowingly walk into a death trap.

"My chances... I'd say fifty-fifty," Monkey said. "A few years ago, I was lucky enough to find a certain medicinal herb. It doesn't do much on its own, but if you smear it on your body, it can completely mask your scent for a short while! And I have another herb that can suppress one's aura and prevent it from leaking out for a time!"

"That's perfect!" Xu Luo immediately understood Monkey's plan, and his eyes lit up.

Monkey looked at Xu Luo with some concern. He suddenly had a feeling that bringing this fellow along might have been a mistake.

He just wanted to retrieve the Chaos Heaven Armor, but from the look on this kid's face, it seemed he wanted to empty out the hideous toad's entire treasure vault...

If they really did that, the hideous toad... would never let them go. It would surely go berserk and hunt them to the ends of the earth.

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