Chapter 151, The Monkey King’s Battle for Supremacy, the New King, and the Old King

Translator: Raznick

 

With the Zhou Clan’s Jade Spirit Bee pollinating the Wang Clan’s herbs, the Wang Clan could also receive a share of spiritual honey afterward.

 

This kind of favor delivered right to their doorstep, Wang Zhixiong certainly would not refuse.

 

He didn’t even bargain with Zhou Chun over the quantity of rewarded spiritual honey, quickly agreeing on the matter.

 

With this matter settled, Zhou Chun completed his mission and returned to the clan.

 

At this time, the Meridian Protection Pill and Meridian Nurturing Pill were already in hand; only another pill, the Metal Qi Dispersing Powder, was still unaccounted for.

 

But the formula for the Metal Qi Dispersing Powder was already recorded in the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art, so Zhou Chun wasn’t particularly anxious about it.

 

He simply had people procure the related materials, and if he couldn’t do it himself, he could find someone to help refine them.

 

Therefore, upon returning to the clan, Zhou Chun devoted himself to preparing for the various matters decided upon at the elder’s meeting.

 

First, it was the establishment of the security team.

 

After consulting with him personally, Zhou Chun decided that Zhou Jiapeng, a newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Zhou Clan, would serve as the captain of the security team, and then six individuals would be selected from the clan’s late Qi Refining cultivators.

 

The security team would patrol thirty miles around Nine Peaks daily, cracking down on all cultivator brawling and fighting within that area.

 

This matter was announced by posting notices outside of the Zhou Clan estate, targeting those roaming rogue cultivators, and a batch of Zhou Clan transmission flares was provided free of charge.

 

Any rogue cultivator who activated a transmission smoke flare within thirty miles of the Zhou Clan estate would attract the attention of the security team and receive help.

 

The security team began their patrols, and each day, rogue cultivators would witness the Zhou Clan security team, riding Eight Antlers Stags, galloping through the mountains, surveying all sides.

 

With the stamina and speed of an Eight Antlers Stag, a few hundred miles could be covered without needing a rest.

 

The rogue cultivators residing near the Zhou Clan estate felt reassured by this, greatly praising the Zhou Clan’s actions.

 

These legitimate rogue cultivators weren’t worried about the Zhou Clan coveting their meager possessions or damaging their reputation.

 

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have settled so close to the Zhou Clan.

 

Now that the Zhou Clan was willing to form a security team to inspect their residences, it greatly enhanced their safety.

 

Following the security team’s commencement of operations, Zhou Chun turned his attention to the daycare and the clan academy.

 

The clan academy was relatively straightforward; Zhou Chun hired a senior Jia generation cultivator to handle the matter. The senior’s responsibility was to instruct the clan’s youngsters who hadn’t yet begun cultivating, teaching them various cultivation world common knowledge through storytelling.

 

Zhou Chun deeply understood the importance of guiding youth.

 

Therefore, despite limitations in manpower and student numbers, he only assigned one cultivator teacher to the clan academy but undertook a number of other tasks.

 

For example, he sought out clan elders for material, then requested they compose and refine it, creating over twenty stories recounting the Zhou Clan cultivators’ unity and cooperation to overcome adversity, intending to cultivate a sense of familial love in these young clan members from a young age.

 

He also arranged for the clan cultivators to occasionally bring wild beasts and have them battle the young clan members, allowing a few clan members to work together to confront beasts far stronger than themselves.

 

Through this method, he aimed to foster their courage and sense of unity.

 

The daycare, responsible for nurturing the Zhou Clan cultivators’ direct descendants, could only be established within the estate for security reasons.

 

After Zhou Chun conducted a thorough on-site inspection to select a location, it was constructed in a secluded area within the estate, entirely in the style of a walled compound.

 

Inside, even streets and storefront models were constructed to familiarize future children with mortal life.

 

The young mothers and middle-aged women selected from among the Zhou Clan’s mortal relatives assumed the role of teachers, responsible for caring for and nurturing the children sent to the childcare center.

 

When those children grew to the ages of six or seven, specialized teachers would instruct them in literacy and martial arts, continuing until they reached the age of sixteen, at which point they would be sent into the mortal world to start families and build lives.

 

Because the Zhou Clan had previously had several cultivators who had children and raised them nearby.

 

When the childcare center was completed and began operating, it quickly housed twenty to thirty children of all sizes.

 

Having witnessed firsthand the living conditions of the children in the childcare center, some Zhou Clan cultivators who had initially harbored certain concerns quickly set aside their worries and proactively expressed their desire to take concubines and have children to Zhou Chun, this Deputy Clan Leader.

 

In just half a year, five cultivators from the Zhou Clan took concubines, each selecting several at once.

 

On this day, Zhou Chun visited the beast enclosure to inspect the situation.

 

It turned out that the beast enclosure had been breeding Eight Antlers Stag, and recently, a female stag had given birth to a fawn, with two others also pregnant.

 

These demon beasts, within the Zhou Clan’s beast enclosure, had freedoms no greater than those in the wild, but their food and drink were considerably better than before.

 

The Zhou Clan possessed extensive experience in beast husbandry; they had previously sought and screened out several species of spiritual herb containing rich nutrients in order to nurture these herbivorous demon beasts.

 

These spiritual herbs, as long as their seeds were scattered in areas with abundant spiritual energy, would grow into spiritual herbs containing spiritual energy in two or three years and required no effort to cultivate.

 

The Zhou Clan had opened dedicated pastures in many places on Nine Peaks to cultivate these spiritual herbs.

 

Because of the importance placed on these Eight Antlers Stag, three lavish meals of spiritual herbs would be provided to them each month.

 

It was precisely because of these favorable living conditions that these Eight Antlers Stags were quickly domesticated and grew exceptionally well.

 

“We are currently seeking superior deer breeds at the Deer Pen, preparing to locate a batch of female wild deer that can match the size of the male Eight Antlers Stag for breeding, hoping to use this method to expand the population.

 

“If this endeavor proves successful, it will also avert potential deformities in subsequent generations of Eight Antlers Stag due to inbreeding, which could negatively impact population development.”

 

Within the Deer Pen, as Zhou Chun observed a female deer carrying offspring in the distance, the Deer Pen Executive, Zhou Zhengxun, seized the opportunity to report his own thoughts.

 

Since Zhou Chun’s reforms to the Zhou Clan, new commendation systems had been implemented in each hall.

 

Those who achieved outstanding results in their respective positions could receive considerable merit rewards and even directly elevate their status level.

 

For the Beast Hall, which oversaw the beast enclosure, each garden’s executive could be deemed outstanding simply by achieving substantial growth in the demon beast population.

 

Such incentive systems existed before, but this time Zhou Chun had made them more detailed and increased the rewards.

 

Consequently, the enthusiasm of many Zhou Clan cultivators had been ignited, eager to make a significant contribution.

 

Zhou Chun, upon hearing Zhou Zhengxun’s suggestions at this time, nodded in agreement: “That’s right, Fifth Brother, I strongly support your idea. You can draft a plan outlining your Deer Pen’s specific requirements for the deer breeds, then submit it for my approval to be sent to the External Affairs Hall so other clan members can collaborate to achieve this.”

 

Upon hearing his words, Zhou Zhengxun was immediately delighted and quickly bowed in gratitude: “Thank you for your support, Deputy Clan Leader.”

 

Zhou Chun waved his hand and said, “There’s no need to thank me. As long as it’s for the clan and any suggestions that benefit the clan, Fifth Brother, you can always bring them to me, and I’m happy to review them based on the circumstances.”

 

After inspecting the Deer Pen in this way, he then moved on to the Monkey Pen.

 

Although Zhou Zhengyong was now the executive of the Beast Hall, because the Beast Hall’s management responsibilities lay within the beast enclosure, he still managed the Monkey Pen.

 

Moreover, the matter of population propagation of the Blazing Diamond Monkey in the Monkey Pen was a significant issue discussed at the Zhou Clan elder meeting, and as the Beast Hall Executive, he had to closely monitor it.

 

It was a curious coincidence.

 

Zhou Chun arrived at the Monkey Pen, intending to find Zhou Zhengyong and inquire about the Blazing Diamond Monkey.

 

He hadn’t expected that as soon as he reached the exterior of the Monkey Pen, he would hear a chorus of roars from within and also sense fluctuations in mystical art energy.

 

Then, with a sweep of his Divine Sense, he clearly perceived the situation deep within the woods.

 

He saw that in a clearing where a troop of monkeys habitually rested and moved about, the old monkey king Diamond Ape, who had ruled over the troop for over ten years, was now engaged in a fierce battle with his son, the Blazing Diamond Monkey, who was challenging his position as king.

 

The old monkey king Diamond Ape, when he fought alongside Zhou Chun and the others, was equivalent to a cultivator in the Twelfth Layer of the Qi Refining Stage, a superior first-grade demon beast.

 

Now, more than a decade had passed, and although he hadn’t managed to evolve into a second-grade demon beast, his strength had increased considerably.

 

Furthermore, his true age was only in his fifties, meaning he was in the prime of his life and not an elderly demon beast weakened by an unattainable advancement.

 

Several cultivators from the Zhou Clan, reaching the Twelfth Layer of the Qi Refining Stage, had clashed with him and dared not claim a guaranteed victory.

 

However, his challenger’s strength was also extraordinary.

 

Under the Zhou Clan’s relentless cultivation and resource investment, the Blazing Diamond Monkey, despite being less than ten years old, was already not far behind the old monkey king in terms of cultivation.

 

And as a mixed-blood demon beast, he not only possessed the same sturdy physique and mystical art as the old monkey king but also mastered several additional fire-attribute mystical arts.

 

Aside from having less battle experience than the old monkey king, he had already surpassed him on paper in terms of strength.

 

Two apes, each standing over ten feet tall, were cloaked in golden light, bared their fangs, and swung their fists wildly in a frenzied clash, relentlessly hammering at their opponent.

 

They were incredibly agile; though unable to fly, they could leap several tens of feet high, sometimes jumping into the air to clash mid-flight, and at other times leaping onto trees to spar with mystical art.

 

The Beast Hall Executive, Zhou Zhengyong, was at this moment alongside his spirit pet, a Redtail Monkey, and those other demonic monkeys within the Monkey Pen, watching this competition for the monkey king’s crown.

 

It was likely that they were all too absorbed in the spectacle, and even when Zhou Chun approached, no one noticed.

 

Zhou Chun didn’t intrude either, carefully concealing his aura as he quietly watched the battle unfold.

 

After an indeterminate length of time, the old monkey king seemed to realize that prolonging the fight might mean defeat, and he roared, initiating the final confrontation.

 

Suddenly, a radiant golden light erupted from his body, intensifying to its peak, swirling around his knuckles as if he adorned his right claw with a gauntlet.

 

Then, he roared and swung his claw towards the Blazing Diamond Monkey.

 

The Blazing Diamond Monkey, having previously withstood every attack from the old monkey king, certainly wasn’t about to back down now.

 

He immediately roared and launched a counterattack.

 

Boom!

 

Like two massive boulders colliding, the impact reverberated with a deafening crash as the two demon beasts’ palms slammed into each other’s heads.

 

But the outcome this time was strikingly different from before.

 

The Blazing Diamond Monkey’s claw still failed to break through the old monkey king’s defenses, inflicting no visible injury.

 

However, the old monkey king’s claw successfully tore through its defenses, leaving a gruesome, deep claw mark on its left cheek that nearly shattered half of its face.

 

The scene unfolded before the eyes of the watching monkeys, instantly causing many of the young demon monkeys to close their eyes, terrified to look.

 

Several of them had favored the Blazing Diamond Monkey, but now they dared not speak up for him.

 

“Experience truly is a treasure.”

 

Zhou Chun sighed softly, genuinely astonished by the Diamond Ape’s performance.

 

He could clearly see that the move he’s just executed was another development and application of the Diamond Ape’s innate mystical art.

 

The innate mystical art of a demon beast is called innate mystical art precisely because it’s innate—they don’t need to learn it to master it, nor can they easily learn other mystical art.

 

However, innate mystical art still holds a lot of potential that can be mined; demon beasts whose cultivation has stagnated can, over years, through serendipitous encounters or flashes of insight, unearth the potential of their innate mystical art and develop new applications for its power.

 

These applications are somewhat similar to the fire-control secret art that Zhou Chun once saw used by the hunchbacked old man in the Heaven Spirit Trial.

 

Through the regulation of the fire-control secret art, he successfully fused a normally weak Fireball Technique into a mystical art that was stronger than the average superior first-grade mystical art.

 

The Diamond Ape hasn’t reached that level yet, but it’s taken the most crucial first step.

 

Given time, if it continues to research, it’s hard to say that it won’t reach that level.

 

“It seems this Diamond Ape is a talent worth cultivating; if suitable spiritual items for its breakthrough were to appear in the future, it would be worth considering helping it advance!”

 

Zhou Chun’s gaze flickered as he looked at the Diamond Ape, and a sense of appreciation arose in his heart.

 

With the Wood Spirit Ape as an example, Zhou Chun doesn’t have any aversion to cultivating demon beasts without masters.

 

As long as they exhibit potential worth cultivating, he wouldn’t mind nurturing them.

 

Of course, that’s predicated on them showing the potential worth nurturing!

 

But just as Zhou Chun believed that the battle for the monkey king would end with the challenger’s defeat, an unexpected event occurred.

 

The Blazing Diamond Monkey, who had fallen to the ground and sustained injuries, suddenly burst into flames.

 

No, it wasn’t fur that was burning, but a flame of spiritual power igniting upon its form!

 

A roar, laced with fury, erupted from the Blazing Diamond Monkey, and it suddenly opened its mouth, unleashing a crimson fireball toward the Diamond Ape.

 

Boom!

 

The violent explosion directly hurled the Diamond Ape backward, scattering the golden light that enveloped it.

 

The Blazing Diamond Monkey, consumed by flames, didn’t wait for it to regain its footing but pursued it, raising its claw to strike down upon its head.

 

It was clearly intending to kill the Diamond Ape!

 

“Stop!”

 

Zhou Zhengyong, who had been watching the battle, suddenly jolted back to awareness and quickly shouted to try and halt the Blazing Diamond Monkey.

 

But now, would the Blazing Diamond Monkey, consumed by rage, heed his words?

 

The claw descended with unwavering certainty toward the Diamond Ape, showing no hesitation.

 

Fortunately, Zhou Chun was also present.

 

At the critical moment, Zhou Chun swiftly flew forward, intercepting the Diamond Ape and erecting a spiritual power shield.

 

Bang!

 

With an explosive sound, the Blazing Diamond Monkey was pushed back several steps by the massive rebound force.

 

Zhou Chun, though merely a cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment stage and without having switched to any remarkable cultivation method, still possessed a significant cultivation disparity.

 

The Blazing Diamond Monkey’s physical strength was such that a single blow could shatter defenses, even those of the previous Diamond Ape; how could it possibly harm him?

 

At this moment, after repelling the Blazing Diamond Monkey, he immediately released a wave of pressure to subdue it, then allowed Zhou Zhengyong, who rushed forward with excitement, to pull it away to heal its injuries.

 

His gaze then shifted to the Diamond Ape on the ground.