8: Chapter 8: The Show Begins!

Heavy rain fell outside the cave. The Black Bear Spirit sat on his throne, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrests, making a da-da-da sound.

"Great King, what do you think of Brother Niu now? Could he be losing to that fellow? After all, that Dragon Clan member is of the same Realm as him..." the Leopard Spirit said, cupping his hands in salute.

The Black Bear Spirit closed his eyes and shook his head, indicating he did not know.

"I can no longer see them. They have flown twenty miles away. I have no way of knowing the situation, let alone helping."

The Black Bear Spirit descended from his throne, pacing slowly, deep in thought.

"It seems that earthworm knew I possessed some treasure or technique to overlook the battlefield, which is why he lured A-Niu away..."

As he finished speaking, thunder rumbled outside, shaking the soul.

And within that thunder, there seemed to be the faint sound of human voices.

"Old Blacky, hurry out and see your Dragon Lord! Don't make me look down on you!"

With that said, Ao Lie threw the ox head he was holding...

These provocative and insulting words reached the ears of the Black Bear Spirit. Although it filled him with resentment, he was not so reckless as to rush out blindly.

The Black Bear Spirit cursed angrily as well. He knew his subordinate was dead, and his heart was filled with grief.

"You bastard, if you were alone, I would have pierced you to death with my spear long ago. There would be no need for all this nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Ao Lie spoke calmly, his tone filled with provocation.

Because of the Jade Dragon Armor, Ao Lie's body remained dry. At this moment, he deliberately brushed his hair, exuding a hint of "heroic" spirit.

"My Senior Brother has long since left; I reckon he won't be back until tomorrow. But I, Ao Lie, do not think you have any ability. You are just a beast that has achieved sentience. How can you compare to me, a born member of the Dragon Clan with a high-level Bloodline!"

Upon hearing this, the Black Bear Spirit was furious, unable to remain cautious and strategize any longer.

"How can you be so arrogant? If I possessed your Bloodline—even if it isn't the most high-end—with diligent practice, I would have long since reached the Great Luo Realm."

"Yet, I was born as nothing more than a beast. You have never experienced this Monster Realm, full of calculated steps and murderous intent, yet you dare to mock me for having no ability?"

Amidst the churning anger, the Black Bear Spirit instantly donned his armor and boots, picked up his black-tasseled spear, and flew out of the cave.

Seeing this, Ao Lie quickly revealed his dragon form, opening his maw to bite at the Black Bear Spirit.

But the Black Bear Spirit did not dodge. He threw aside the silver spear, roared, and his bear hand transformed to the size of a mountain, clamping onto Ao Lie's dragon head in one go.

The Black Bear Spirit's eyes flashed with dark light. While keeping an eye on his surroundings, he manipulated the giant bear hand to squeeze forcefully.

Ao Lie's heart was shaken; the Black Bear Spirit before him had no intention of sparing his life.

He was bent on killing him, which forced Ao Lie to struggle desperately.

The Black Bear Spirit laughed, his bear hand exerting more force.

"Today, I shall extinguish your arrogance. In your next life, remember to act with caution. The Monster Realm is not child's play. If you want to live and become stronger, you must proceed with caution at every step!"

Ao Lie hurriedly begged for mercy, his dragon body twisting violently.

"Bear Lord, Bear Lord, I was wrong! I shouldn't have been so shameless! I beg you to spare my life."

Ao Lie was a mess of tears and snot, making his dragon Face look exceptionally hideous.

Hearing this, the Black Bear Spirit did not loosen his grip but instead squeezed harder, causing Ao Lie to bleed from his seven orifices.

Ao Lie was horrified and hurriedly shouted.

"Bear Lord, stop! Listen to me, that cassock of yours is fake. I know where the real one is; I can give it to you. And... and I will also give you the Immortal Pill gifted to me by the Guanyin Bodhisattva. I only ask that you spare my life!"

Ao Lie's attitude was pious, causing the Black Bear Spirit's expression to soften.

The Black Bear Spirit snorted coldly and loosened his giant hand, forcing Ao Lie to revert to his human form. The sight of him bleeding from his seven orifices was pitiable.

The heavy rain continued to fall, but the Black Bear Spirit felt his nerves tighten. That Furry Monkey kept claiming he could travel 108,000 miles in a single somersault, yet now, with his Junior Brother's life in danger, there was no sign of him.

When things are abnormal, there must be demons!

Immediately, the Black Bear Spirit stopped talking nonsense, exhaled a breath of turbid Qi, spread his cape to wrap around Ao Lie, turned into a black wind, and flew back to the Immortal Cave.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Ao Lie was surrounded by dozens of low-level minor demons who had just barely cultivated into human form, all looking at him with curiosity.

Among them, the minor demon who had delivered the news, named Fengfeng, was kneeling on the ground, kowtowing to the Black Bear Spirit on the throne.

"The Great King is unparalleled in martial might, capturing this mere mongrel dragon in an instant!"

Seeing this, the demons all knelt and bowed.

"Great King is mighty!"

Seeing this scene, the Black Bear Spirit laughed wildly in his heart, but on the surface, he remained calm, his expression as stern as thunder.

It was as if even if mountains collapsed and seas raged, he would not take it to heart.

Once the demons quieted down, the Black Bear Spirit spoke slowly, pointing at Ao Lie, who was tied to a stone pillar, to question him.

"Dragon man! What is wrong with this cassock of mine? Speak quickly, and I may spare your life! As for that Immortal Pill, once you hand it over to me, this King will let you leave. How about that?"

Ao Lie feigned fear and spoke tremblingly.

"The Great King of Heifeng Cave is truly well-deserved. I am impressed. That cassock is indeed fake. I will tell you where the real one is only after you spare my life."

Ao Lie spoke tentatively; he was gambling on the Black Bear Spirit's magnanimity.

As it turned out, he hadn't gambled wrong!

The Black Bear Spirit waved his hand, his eyes filled with some annoyance as he spoke.

"Untie him!"

The minor demons below hurriedly obeyed.

Ao Lie shrank his neck, loosened his wrists, and shook his legs, appearing completely relaxed.

"Great King, could you please take out that cassock? I will tell you how to break its illusion!"

Upon hearing this, the Black Bear Spirit flew back to his bedroom and took out the golden, shimmering cassock.

Then, he walked to Ao Lie's side and handed the cassock over.

Ao Lie took it and nodded at the Black Bear Spirit.

The Black Bear Spirit returned the gesture stiffly.

But the next moment, the Black Bear Spirit's eyes widened, and anger rose from his heart.

"Stop, you bastard."

The Black Bear Spirit reached out to snatch it, never expecting that the person before him would actually use fire to destroy the cassock.

Ao Lie dodged while handing the cassock in his hand forward, and said.

"Great King, look, what exactly is this?"

The Black Bear Spirit stopped. After examining it closely, his eyes widened.

"This is monkey fur? No wonder it smelled so musky!"

The cassock in Ao Lie's hand transformed into a tuft of monkey fur amidst a phantom-like illusion.

The Black Bear Spirit realized what had happened and, clutching the monkey fur, said softly to Ao Lie.

"Ao Lie, since that is the case, hurry up and hand over the real cassock. And that Immortal Pill—since it was gifted by the Bodhisattva, it must be extraordinary!"

"But don't worry, this King keeps his word. Once you hand over both items, you are free to leave!"

The cave became incredibly quiet at this moment, and a glimmer of sinister intent flashed in the depths of the Black Bear Spirit's eyes.

"Hmph! I have roamed the world for sixty-five hundred years; how could I spare your life? Sigh, it is just a pity for my adopted son, who had the potential of a Golden Immortal..."

Outside the cave, thunder rumbled, and the rain continued to fall.

Inside the cave hall, it was half-dark and half-bright, with a dozen ghostly flames burning.

Ao Lie took out his master's treasure-light cassock from his sleeve and handed it to the Black Bear Spirit, simultaneously hinting that he should try burning it, as the real treasure-light cassock was impervious to water and fire.

The Black Bear Spirit followed suit and was immediately all smiles, then continued to ask about the whereabouts of the Immortal Pill.

At this moment, Ao Lie suddenly became mysterious, signaling that the Black Bear Spirit should look at it alone, otherwise the medicinal fragrance would dissipate, be inhaled by others, and the medicinal efficacy would be greatly reduced.

Upon hearing this, the Black Bear Spirit nodded in understanding, dismissed the demons, and took Ao Lie to the bedroom.

In the bedroom, Ao Lie looked around, then took a box out of his sleeve.

The box was inlaid with gems, agate, diamonds, blue crystals, and many other treasures.

Upon opening the small gold lock on the front of the box, Buddha light suddenly burst forth.

The light was so piercing that the two demons narrowed their eyes, not daring to look directly at it.

"Great King, may I inhale the medicinal fragrance for a moment longer? After all, I have never tried it before, and my curiosity is quite strong!"

Upon hearing this, the Black Bear Spirit's suspicions dissipated; he took the Immortal Pill and swallowed it in one gulp.

"This is an Immortal Pill! You little dragon who hasn't even grown all your fur, what do you know about the mysteries of Immortal Pills."

After saying this, the Black Bear Spirit revealed a thoughtful expression.

"I was originally a carefree wild bear in the mountains. Sixty-four hundred years ago, a person dressed as a Daoist came here and gifted me an Immortal Pill, allowing me to gain wisdom and Cultivate as a Yao."

"That day, he instructed me to keep great love in my heart and never harm people. Everything in this world has its own Dao, and all can achieve Immortal Ascension and become Buddhas."

"That was my benefactor. I still remember him saying he was from the Jie Sect..."

The Black Bear Spirit woke from his memories, coughed, and continued to speak.

"In any case, I have deeply experienced the wonderful uses of the Immortal Pill. This is no longer your property, so stop being greedy!"

Ao Lie lowered his head and said nothing.

Seeing this, the Black Bear Spirit didn't think much of it, but his eyes suddenly turned sinister.

"Ao Lie, although you are a dragon and a member of the Innate Yao Race, you certainly don't know how arduous it is for us Acquired Yao Race to achieve success in Cultivation!"

"We have gone through thousands of hardships just to barely survive, let alone Cultivate into human form."

"Think of the adopted son I took in a hundred years ago; today he was killed by you. Tell me, shouldn't I be angry? Shouldn't those Yao Race who have struggled so hard to survive be angry?"

"So, hand over your life!"

Having said this, the Black Bear Spirit acted decisively, his body turning into a black wind that engulfed Ao Lie.

Ao Lie's alarm bells rang immediately. After regaining his composure, he shouted.

"Senior Brother! Save me!"

The sound erupted in the Black Bear Spirit's mind, instantly stalling his attack.

The Black Bear Spirit hesitated for a moment, then stopped hesitating. He did not believe that in his own bedroom, that Furry Monkey could break in from the outside.

"Just a desperate struggle! Hmph!"

"Stop!"

"You bear, you dare to harm my Junior Brother? I, Old Sun, will surely make you wish you were dead!"

The Black Bear Spirit did not react in time. His mind just buzzed, and then severe pain came from his internal organs, as if they had been crushed alive.

"Furry Monkey, how are you inside my body?"

The Black Bear Spirit let out a final roar. Then, as if he had thought of something, he pointed at Ao Lie and said unwillingly.

"Was it you? The Immortal Pill!"

The Monkey King heard this, and in order not to implicate Ao Lie, he broke through multiple layers of flesh and flew straight toward the demon inner core in the Dantian.

Upon reaching this place, facing the solid Dantian layer, the Furry Monkey decisively took out the magic staff and struck down with one blow.

Instantly, the Dantian shattered with a bang.

The Black Bear Spirit's inner core was revealed before his eyes!

"Stop!"

With a loud shout, the Furry Monkey grabbed the inner core sphere, squeezed it hard, and the inner core shattered into particles, falling onto the Dantian wall, completely dimming.

The Black Bear Spirit spat out blood. He looked at Ao Lie, who was staring at him coldly, and only lamentation remained in his heart.

Without the inner core, the Black Bear Spirit's Physical Body was vulnerable. Then, Ao Lie revealed his dragon claws, kicked with one leg, and lunged straight at the Black Bear Spirit's chest.

The dragon claw pierced through, bringing out a spray of bright red blood, and in his hand, he held a beating, unwilling pump of flesh and blood!

The Black Bear Spirit's life had come to an end. Before dying, he smiled calmly, grabbed Ao Lie's arm, and pleaded.

"This King... I have honored my benefactor's instructions all my life and never harmed anyone, not even the demons under my command. Today I die, and their days in the Monster Realm will surely be difficult. Therefore, I only ask that you spare them, even if you just banish them back to the wilderness!"

"The only thing I am still worried about are these minor demons. They only relied on me to survive, so they do not deserve to die! I hope... cough, I hope Lord Jade Dragon will fulfill this request!"

The rough voice dissipated, drifting narrowly within the Immortal Cave, silent and unnoticed.

Only one dragon and one monkey in the cave witnessed the Black Wind King, who was still concerned about his subordinates even at the moment of death.