Chapter 56: A tiger in the lowlands is bullied by dogs, a dragon fallen to the depths is beaten by monkeys

Chapter 56: The Tiger Fallen to the Plains Bullied by Dogs, the Dragon Plunged into the Abyss Beaten by a Monkey

Although Xuan Qing could still exhale a breath of dragon energy, it did not mean he possessed any real combat strength at this moment. That single breath of dragon energy was something he had been accumulating for a long time. After unleashing it on the Colorful Monkey, Xuan Qing realized he was in trouble.

Because the Colorful Monkey, after receiving that breath of dragon energy, did not perish; instead, it stood up.

"Looking for a fight!" The Colorful Monkey dragged its golden staff and slowly approached Xuan Qing.

Xuan Qing lay motionless on the ground. What had become of the world? In the past, when his cultivation was not as strong, a single exhalation of dragon energy could force even the mightiest adversaries to their knees. Now, with his cultivation greatly improved, that same breath he had released on Zhou Yu had caused no harm—understandable since Zhou Yu was protecting him. But this monkey—

This monkey was a formidable opponent. Xuan Qing knew this from the immense power emanating from the golden staff it wielded. Magical treasures often possessed sentience, choosing their masters unless subdued by a stronger force.

This golden staff was undoubtedly a sentient treasure of the highest order. Yet it had chosen a seemingly mediocre monkey as its master, which could only mean one thing: this monkey held boundless potential.

Even with immense potential and a bright future to accomplish great feats, it still did not explain how the Colorful Monkey could survive a direct blast of Xuan Qing’s dragon breath unharmed.

“How are you unharmed?” Xuan Qing’s mind was a chaotic mess as he looked fearfully at the advancing monkey and asked.

“Damn it! Haven’t you heard of the mighty Monkey Grandpa? Looks like you’re begging for a beating!” the Colorful Monkey shouted, suddenly swinging the golden staff with force.

The strike was heavy, making Xuan Qing dizzy and seeing stars.

After that blow, the Colorful Monkey, still irate from Xuan Qing’s earlier arrogance and insult, relentlessly pummeled him with the golden staff.

Xuan Qing was in agony. His protective dragon aura had long been shattered by Zhou Yu, and now in his human form, small in stature and gravely injured, he could barely move, forced to endure blow after blow.

The power of the dragon clan was immense. Even in his weakened state, with the monkey wielding the golden staff, Xuan Qing only suffered superficial injuries.

But even these minor wounds were humiliating. Who was he? One of the four great sacred beasts, the primary warrior among them. Over countless years, though he had been injured, never had he suffered mere surface wounds. Injuries he bore were internal, sustained during battles with supreme foes. When had he ever been beaten like this? And worst of all, his assailant was not a man, but a mere monkey! The indignity burned like fire in his teeth, yet he was powerless to resist.

“Monkey! If you’ve got the guts, kill me! Otherwise, I’ll never forgive you!” Xuan Qing gritted his teeth, swallowing his blood to speak.

“Heh heh, tell you what! Monkey Grandpa’s been through all kinds of wounds, a hundred times worse than this! You young pup, can’t take a little beating? I’m just toughening you up!” The Colorful Monkey taunted while continuing to batter him relentlessly.

Xuan Qing’s body was tossed about, rolling in the snow as the faint azure glow of his healing aura was shattered.

Zhou Yu watched nearby, feeling uneasy. Though Xuan Qing had accepted him as leader, Zhou Yu lacked the strength to truly subdue him. What if he lost his temper and turned hostile? The monkey’s behavior only made that more likely. Just as Zhou Yu was about to intervene, the Fox Princess tugged at his sleeve.

He looked at her, realizing she had something to say. Without stopping the monkey, Zhou Yu followed her away.

Trailing behind the Fox Princess, Zhou Yu’s gaze lingered on her graceful figure and the sway of her hips. He felt a stirring in his chest but quickly shook his head—she was his mother-in-law; such thoughts were improper.

It wasn’t his fault; the Fox Princess was simply too alluring.

Walking to a distance where only muffled shouts and curses from the monkey and Xuan Qing could be heard, the Fox Princess stopped and turned to Zhou Yu.

“Little Zhou, do you know what just happened?” she asked, her eyes drifting to the footprints in the snow beneath them.

“I don’t know, but the Colorful Monkey told me,” Zhou Yu replied honestly.

Her gaze lifted from the snow to Zhou Yu’s worn leather boots, then to his tattered coarse cloth pants, his open shirt, and finally locked onto his eyes directly.

Zhou Yu felt uneasy under that look, especially coming from such a stunning woman—his mother-in-law, no less.

He wondered if his daughter Xiao Qing would grow up as beautiful as her. For some reason, this thought startled him. Once, the seductive arts of Nan Fenglang had no effect on him, and Nan Fenglang was no less enchanting than the Fox Princess. Could it be because of Xiao Qing?

Suddenly, the Fox Princess smiled gently at him, her eyes seeming to read his thoughts. Heat flushed his cheeks.

“That is the power of the Great Black Heavenly Demon King!” she suddenly said.

“The Great Black Heavenly Demon King?” Zhou Yu had never heard of it, but anything labeled “black” and “demon” was clearly malevolent. Hearing it from a demon king, a creature often scorned by humans, only confirmed its dreadful nature.

“I heard from the Colorful Monkey it’s a giant crimson crab,” Zhou Yu added.

The Fox Princess raised an eyebrow. “Whether it’s a crab or not, at my level as a demon king, I know some ancient secrets of the demon clans. The Great Black Heavenly Demon King is one of them.”

“Tell me more,” Zhou Yu asked.

“This story is ancient. Luckily, my fox clan dates back to primordial times, or this history would have been lost in the endless flow of time,” she began.

“Many eons ago, demons and humans mingled—sometimes fighting, sometimes cooperating. There were four ferocious beasts, each evolved from low-level wild beasts. From countless wild beasts, these four stood out, first evolving into demon beasts.”

“Perhaps you don’t know, but the ancestors of all demons were wild beasts. When they evolved into demon beasts, the demon race began. Some demon beasts developed intelligence and became demons, while most remained low-level and stupid, though still powerful. A few evolved further into even stronger beings. After countless evolutions, these four ferocious beasts emerged—the Four Great Sacred Beasts: the Azure Dragon Xuan Qing, the Sacred Qilin, the Divine Tortoise Xuanwu, and the Fire Phoenix.”

“These four were the strongest demon beasts. It was no surprise that the great sacred beasts came from them. But in the era when the four sacred beasts warred endlessly, the most powerful divine beast suddenly appeared.”

“Wait, you said ‘appeared’?” Zhou Yu interrupted.

“Yes, appeared. This divine beast emerged suddenly, possessing boundless power. In the war of the sacred beasts, it alone defeated the combined forces of the other four and sealed them away. That was the Great Black Heavenly Demon King.”

After finishing, the Fox Princess’s eyes grew distant, as if recalling that time.

“But how can you be sure the power inside me is that of the Great Black Heavenly Demon King?” Zhou Yu asked.

The Fox Princess stepped closer, looking into his eyes. “Besides the Great Black Heavenly Demon King, I know no other who could so easily defeat the Azure Dragon Xuan Qing, the main warrior among the four sacred beasts. And Xuan Qing fears you so deeply because he recognizes the power within you. That you cannot deny.”

Zhou Yu nodded. He had suspected as much but found it hard to believe.

The Divine Beasts.

Morrison had said the key for the Child of Destiny was to harness the power of a divine beast! Zhou Yu suddenly realized he had never known about the divine beasts of the Path of the Rōshindō—only the four great sacred beasts. Everyone had been on the wrong track.

He recalled the teapot engraved with the four sacred beasts he saw in the spiritual realm, its bottom etched with a giant crab. He had thought it was a craftsman’s prank, but now he realized that giant crab was a divine beast!

Connecting these revelations, Zhou Yu was amazed. It was unbelievable!

By a twist of fate, he had obtained the power of a divine beast! This filled him with both worry and excitement.

Excited because if the divine beast had chosen him, maybe he truly was the Child of Destiny, destined to return to Earth. Worried about Abili—what if Abili was the real Child of Destiny? What would happen then?

After much thought, Zhou Yu decided it was a good thing. After all, this power was now in his hands, or rather within him. If he could fully wield it, he might just defeat his enemies. From what he had seen, Xuan Qing could easily overpower five demon kings, and the Great Black Heavenly Demon King’s power could easily crush Xuan Qing. It was overwhelmingly strong!

“Are you thinking of something?” the Fox Princess asked, watching the changing expressions on Zhou Yu’s face.

“Just trying to sort out my thoughts,” Zhou Yu replied.

In the distance, the Colorful Monkey was exhausted, leaning on his golden staff, panting, “Do you surrender or not?”

Xuan Qing, ready to weep, feared that if the monkey kept beating him, he wouldn’t be able to heal himself, which would truly be tragic. So he grudgingly said, “Old me surrenders.”

The Colorful Monkey chuckled, “If you still don’t surrender, I’ll have Abili pee on your head!”

“Who’s Abili?” Xuan Qing asked.

The Colorful Monkey pointed to a pig nearby sneezing.

Seeing this, Xuan Qing shouted, “I surrender! I really surrender!”