Chapter 18: One Year On
The spirit monkey suddenly executed such a ferocious Sanguine Ape Fist Seal. Su Zimo was taken aback.
Su Zimo was suddenly enlightened on the gist of this style. Slightly distracted, he was hit right in the face by the spirit monkey’s punch.
The blow was severe. Su Zimo was caught off guard. He was flung out and he bumped onto the stone walls in the cave, causing a huge dent on it. Dense cracks started to appear around the stone wall.
“I... ”
Su Zimo was dazed by the hit.
At one moment, this monkey was laughing in such a carefree manner. In the next moment, he turned hostile and attacked. It was completely illogical.
In fact, although the spirit monkey was intelligent and psychic, it did not understand the way humans interacted with one another. Hence, it was not influenced by the fighting and scheming as well as deceiving and blackmailing means in the mortal world.
In the forest, the only communication between the demon clan was combat
The spirit monkey was simple and innocent. It retained the most primitive instinct of survival. It would fight or smile when it felt like it. He saved Su Zimo only because of it’s enmity with the wolves. He completely did not care whether Su Zimo was human or demon.
When it released it’s punch, the spirit monkey had not even thought of retracting it.
If Su Zimo had not cultivated The Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness and consumed the Scarlet Flame Fruit, attained initial success with Body Tempering and Tendons Transformation, this Sanguine Ape Fist Seal style would most probably make him half dead!
Su Zimo touched the blood flowing out of his nostrils. His face darkened as he said, “Damn monkey, do you wish to fight?”
“Wowowo!”
The spirit monkey was full of disdain. He curled his fingers at Su Zimo and provoked the latter, chattering continuously.
Without a word, Su Zimo got up and released the Plow Heaven Stride. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the spirit monkey, turned his palm in the posture of rupturing the ground and landed it!
“Wo?”
The spirit monkey shivered all over, seemingly shocked by the prowess of the Plow Heaven Stride combined with the Ground-rupturing Palm.
The spirit monkey seemed to have sensed the powers of the Ground-rupturing Palm. Hence, it did not continue with the fight. It tip-toed and retreated with lightning speed and agility.
It was an empty hit but Su Zimo did not take it to heart. He followed on closely.
After six months of life and death experiences, Su Zimo had not only cultivated spirit perception but also mastered close combat ability and various kinds of fighting techniques.
Su Zimo followed on closely, clenching both fists below his belly. Knuckles protruded, and it was as if a pair of horns was piercing towards the chest of the spirit monkey!
At the sight of this, the spirit monkey did not retreat. It attacked instead. It’s body curled, one knee seemingly. At the same time that he dodged the Bovine’s Moon-gazing, both of it’s palms seemed to be holding onto a fruit and lifting it up.
Sanguine Ape Fruit Offering!
When the spirit monkey executed this style, Su Zimo could not sense the slightest bit of murderous intent.
The posture of Sanguine Ape Fruit Offering looked like someone kneeling on one knee and paying respects obediently.
However, for some unknown reason, Su Zimo suddenly felt his scalp blistering and also goosebumps breaking out all over his body.
The spirit perception that he cultivated told him that a huge killing move was concealed in this style!
Su Zimo closed his eyes and retreated rapidly. At the same time, he paid attention to the spirit monkey’s next moves.
Pang! Pang! Pang!
The initial curl of the spirit monkey’s body suddenly bounced open upon reaching right before Su Zimo. The large tendons in its body were pulsating, sounds of the bowstring ran. It was suddenly releasing and gushing with murderous intent!
Thoughts flashed across Su Zimo’s mind. He had faintly grasped the crux of the Sanguine Ape Fruit Offering.
On one hand, when his large tendons contracted and suddenly stretched, it would release greater powers.
On the other hand, Sanguine Ape Fist Seal first displayed weakness and restrained the murderous intent, followed by a counterattack.
Apes loved peach and fruits most but it offered the fruit at this point in time. Something was amiss. When it offered the fruit, it was evident that the ape already had a murderous intent!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Su Zimo and the spirit monkey sparred constantly in the cave, feet curling and colliding, palms moving like saber.
With Su Zimo’s combat techniques, he could receive and release blows freely. He was forceful and resilient, swift and flexible. He carried an aura that could block the heaven and split the earth.
Shortly after, he subdued the spirit monkey.
However, it was not easy for Su Zimo to defeat the spirit monkey.
The spirit monkey realized that it was difficult to gain the upper hand in the combat. Hence, it began to move in all directions and flee from Su Zimo with swift styles and agile steps.
Of course, from the beginning till the end, Su Zimo did not use all of his strength.
Hence, although the spirit monkey would occasionally scream loudly, gnashing his teeth, it could still get up and fight again when he was overturned by Su Zimo’s hit.
The spirit monkey was a good sparring partner. Su Zimo not only wanted to practice his martial skills but also comprehend the gist of the Sanguine Ape Tri-style as much as possible.
A human and a monkey did not interact much but they had an indescribable, tacit understanding with each other.
In the time to come, Su Zimo lived in this cave.
A man and a monkey occasionally went out to look for trouble with the wolf clan. After killing many wolves, they fled before the wolves could round them up.
Of course, Su Zimo refused to smear himself with the spirit monkey’s poop anymore. He found a type of herb that could conceal his smell and avoided the wolves.
Outside the cave, Su Zimo and the spirit monkey joined forces to kill wolves.
After returning to the cave, after just a few interactions, a human and a monkey would indulge in a sparring match.
Later on, when the spirit monkey realized that he could not gain the upper hand, it felt indignant and started to do sneak attacks.
Sometimes, when Su Zimo was resting, eating or sleeping, the spirit monkey would sneak up to punch him before turning and escaping, then make funny faces at Su Zimo from afar, laughing arrogantly and loudly as if it was the victor.
After some time, as Su Zimo’s spirit perception became increasingly acute, the spirit monkey found it hard to succeed in his sneak attacks.
In the blink of an eye, another five months passed.
The one year of test in Cang Lang Mountain Range was almost coming to an end.
During this period, Su Zimo had been refining the energy of the Scarlet Flame Fruit and devouring blood and flesh at the same time. The Body Tempering and Tendons Transformation Realms advanced continuously towards phenomenal success.
Su Zimo’s body was coordinated, it could be hard or soft; and his strides were as light as a raccoon. When he walked, there was no sound in the air and no traces in the snow. He leaped and shuttled in the dense forest like apes. Using the old tree branches as his support, his feet did not even need to touch the ground.
Of course, to Su Zimo, his close combat ability had improved the most.
In Cang Lang Mountain Range, there were not many spirit beasts that were Su Zimo’s match now.
A man and a monkey seemed to have become the lord of the place. Many spirit beasts would choose to retreat at the sight of them.
Su Zimo had a hunch that the cold lake in the cave was not ordinary. During this period, he dived into the cold lake countless times, wanting to explore it.
However, before Su Zimo could travel to the lakebed, bone-chilling coldness would penetrate his body and slow down his blood circulation, showing signs of freezing. He would return without any success each time.
Today, Su Zimo planned to check out the cold lake one last time before he left the Cang Lang Mountain Range.
Not long after, Su Zimo rose to the surface of the water. He could not hide the disappointment in his eyes and shook his head.
He still did not succeed.
Body Tempering and Tendons Transformation sections trained the flesh, blood and large tendons. In the deeper waters, the three body parts could endure the invasion of the cold but when the coldness penetrated the bones and seeped through the blood veins, Su Zimo could not endure it longer.
In The Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness, the two sections after Tendons Transformation were Bones Strengthening and Marrow Cleansing.
“It seems that I have the capability to get close to the bottom of the lake only after cultivating the Marrow Cleansing section. I can come again and explore at that time.” Su Zimo said secretly.
He did not know where the spirit monkey went. Perhaps it went out to look for the wolf clan’s trouble.
Su Zimo was not worried.
The spirit monkey was extremely alert and intelligent. Although there were many spirit beasts in Cang Lang Mountain Range, it was difficult for them to hurt it.
Furthermore, during this period, the spirit monkey’s ability had improved much after sparring and fighting with Su Zimo.
Su Zimo was most curious of something. The spirit monkey seemed to have learned the Tendons Transformation section before.
The spirit monkey not only knew the Sanguine Ape Tri-style. His usual breathing and expiration was also similar to that in the Tendons Transformation section. Yet, it was a little different.
It seemed a little strange.
When Su Zimo questioned the spirit monkey, it seemed to be a taboo. It always averted his question.
Later on, Su Zimo no longer questioned him.
Today, Su Zimo did not leave the cave. He intended to bid farewell to the spirit monkey upon its return and then return to Ping Yang Town.
One year had passed. Su Zimo missed the Su family very much, especially his older brother and younger sister.
Of course, Su Zimo also look forward to meeting Die Yue again.
In the blink of an eye, the sun gradually descended and it was almost evening.
The spirit monkey had not returned.
Su Zimo furrowed his brows. There was a flash of worry in his eyes.
Cang Lang Mountain Range was very eerie at night. Scary spirit demons would often appear, looking for prey. Although Su Zimo and the spirit monkey were very powerful, they were not a match for spirit demons.
Hence, before the night arrived, they would return to the mountain cave.
The situation of the spirit monkey not returning for the entire day had never happened before.
Su Zimo felt very uneasy. He suddenly stood up and drew out the Thunderbolt Saber that was pierced in the stone wall. He tied it to his back and stepped out of the cave.
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