179: Long Right Monkey King

Gao De concealed his form, blending into the forest light like a faint shadow, as he quietly observed the busy and agile group of golden-furred spiritual monkeys.

His gaze eventually fell upon the thickest and oldest green sandalwood tree at the very center of the monkey troop.

After venturing deeper into the woods where the monkeys were active, he indeed made a new discovery.

Ahead, the canopy spread like a roof, with gnarled branches twisting like dragons.

On a broad, naturally formed wooden platform several dozen feet above the ground, a golden-furred giant ape, far exceeding its kin in size, leaned lazily against the main trunk.

It stood nearly ten feet tall; though it still possessed the appearance of an ape, it exuded a pressure as steady as a mountain.

Its golden fur was not soft like that of the other spiritual monkeys; instead, each strand was crystalline, shimmering with a faint metallic luster under the light filtering through the gaps in the trees, as if it were clad in a suit of golden armor.

Most striking were its limbs, which were long and powerful in proportion. Its arms, in particular, were exceptionally long, reaching past its knees, with broad palms and claws that, while not sharp, possessed a heavy quality capable of easily cleaving metal and stone.

Its face lacked the narrow features of common apes, having instead a clear profile and prominent brow ridges. It had four ears, and when its golden eyes blinked, they radiated brilliant light, its gaze naturally commanding authority.

At this moment, it was holding a large leaf made of some unknown spiritual wood, which contained a bit of clear, amber liquid—the monkey brew.

It sipped from it occasionally with a relaxed expression, yet those golden eyes remained half-closed, scanning the entire forest territory. It seemed that no movement could escape its perception.

Just as Gao De tentatively swept a sliver of his Divine Sense over its body to assess its specific cultivation level—

Buzz!

The Monkey King's previously lazy eyes suddenly became as sharp as lightning. It snapped its head up, and its golden pupils accurately locked onto the direction where Gao De was hiding!

It wasn't that it saw him directly, but rather possessed a superhuman sensitivity to Qi signatures and energy fluctuations!

A violent, fierce demonic aura carrying an ancient, wild scent suddenly erupted from its body, sweeping through the forest like an invisible storm!

Third Rank Late Stage! And it was the kind with an extremely profound foundation, approaching the Peak!

What made Gao De's heart turn cold was that as the demonic aura erupted, a faint phantom vaguely appeared around the Monkey King. The phantom resembled an ape but had four ears and crimson eyes, surrounded by water vapor, exuding an ancient, primal intent of controlling water and bringing forth calamity!

Desolate Beast Bloodline—Changyou!

The 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' records: 'On the Mountain of Changyou, there are no plants or trees, but much water. There is a beast there, shaped like a macaque but with four ears. Its name is Changyou, and its voice is like a chant. When seen, there will be great floods in the counties.'

This was an exotic beast naturally gifted in water control, even capable of causing floods!

The Monkey King before him clearly inherited a portion of the Changyou Bloodline. While it might not reach the level of causing massive floods, its water-control Divine Ability and strength were definitely among the best in its rank. Especially in this water-rich Peach Blossom Spring, it was like a tiger with wings!

Screech—!!!

The Monkey King let out a short, high-pitched shriek—not out of anger, but more as a warning and a declaration of sovereignty.

The shriek was like a physical shockwave, carrying the vast Demonic Power of the Third Rank Late Stage and a hint of the Changyou Bloodline's primal pressure. It instantly pierced through the thin peach blossom miasma, charging straight toward Gao De's location!

The forest fell silent in an instant.

All the frolicking spiritual monkeys and drinking spiritual foxes cowered, looking toward the Monkey King in terror, then glancing uneasily toward Gao De's hiding place.

In an instant, several thoughts flashed through Gao De's mind.

Fight it head-on? He was also at the Third Rank Late Stage, with a newly acquired Divine Ability and a reforged demonic artifact in hand; he didn't necessarily fear it. However, this was the opponent's home turf, and there was a whole troop of monkeys. Who knew if there were other helpers or even old monkeys at the Fourth or Fifth Rank? Furthermore, the depth of the Changyou Bloodline's water-control ability was unknown. Once a fight broke out, it would surely be world-shaking, likely destroying the balance of this place entirely, exposing this hidden Peach Blossom Spring, and even drawing unnecessary outside attention. The gains wouldn't outweigh the losses.

Retreat? The opponent was already alert, but it seemed to be only a warning and hadn't launched an attack immediately.

This indicated that the Monkey King's intelligence was very high; it wasn't just a blindly combative Vicious Beast. Perhaps there was room for communication?

In a flash, Gao De made his decision.

He no longer deliberately maintained a perfect Hidden Scale Concealing Scenery, but instead slightly revealed a trace of his own aura—the majesty of a Third Rank Late Stage Purple Lightning Flood Dragon, pure Dragon pressure, and the unyielding temperament of a powerhouse tempered by countless battles.

At the same time, he restrained all aggressive intent and Divine Sense probing, sending a message toward the Monkey King using only a peaceful and clear Divine Thought:

"I have entered this precious land by mistake and mean no ill will. Is Your Excellency the master of this place? This King shall depart now."

As the message was sent, Gao De's figure began to slowly back away. His movements were clear and steady, without a hint of panic, yet clearly expressing his intent to leave.

The fierce look in the Monkey King's golden eyes paused slightly, seemingly surprised by Gao De's decisive reaction and his powerful aura that was not inferior to its own.

Its massive palm lightly rubbed the wooden leaf cup, and the surging demonic aura and Changyou phantom around it slowly receded, though its wary gaze remained locked on Gao De.

It did not respond with Divine Thought, but merely raised its head slightly and let out a low but even more penetrating guttural sound, glancing toward the peach forest Gao De had come from. The meaning was self-evident—leave quickly.

Under its pressure, the monkey troop remained silent, but they automatically parted to create a path leading to the peach forest trail.

Gao De said no more, maintaining a steady pace as he retreated along the path back into the peach forest shrouded in pink miasma.

Only when he was completely out of the Monkey King's sight and direct perception range did he push Hidden Scale Concealing Scenery to its limit again and speed away.

On the way back, Gao De's assessment of 'Lesser Qingqiu' was updated once more.

"A place with a master... or at least, a powerful 'guardian' with no small amount of intelligence." The Monkey King's existence significantly increased both the value and the danger of this Peach Blossom Spring.

The value lay in the fact that it could give birth to and support a Monkey King of the Third Rank Late Stage with a Desolate Beast Bloodline, indicating that the quality of the Spiritual Vein here was extremely high and resources were far more abundant than they appeared on the surface.

That monkey brew could be enjoyed by the Monkey King, so its quality was likely even better than he had anticipated. If he could establish a connection or reach some kind of agreement with it, the benefits would be immense.

The danger lay in the fact that this 'landlord' was clearly not to be trifled with, had a strong sense of territory, and possessed formidable strength.

Any attempt to take resources from this place would have to take its attitude into account.

Forcibly seizing them would come at a rather high price.

"Desolate Beast Changyou Bloodline... water-control ability... deep within this Yunmeng Marsh, that is a uniquely blessed talent," Gao De mused. "Perhaps... cooperation might not be impossible in the future? At the very least, it's not advisable to make an enemy of it for now."

He firmly committed the Monkey King's existence, strength, and characteristics to memory.

Regarding how to handle this 'Lesser Qingqiu' Peach Blossom Spring, his plan needed more complex and long-term adjustments.

Directly occupying or looting it was no longer feasible, but perhaps he could attempt more secretive observations, look for the needs of the Monkey King or the troop, or wait for a better opportunity.