“It’s only a piece of his consciousness, rather than himself in the flesh.” Lu Yun stared darkly in the direction where the figure had disappeared.

“What was that?” Qing Han was in an equally foul mood. If Lu Yun hadn’t driven that thing out with a talisman, she never would’ve known there was something foreign in her body. Not even Empress Myrtlestar had noticed.

“It’s the soul planting technique of the shamanic race,” Lu Yun said in a chilling tone. “It seems that Dusk Province isn’t as united as I thought it to be. There are traitors among us.”

He immediately contacted his Envoys of Samsara to search through Dusk Province with a fine tooth comb. Only someone Qing Han knew and was close to could’ve approached her without raising the alarm.

Lu Yun didn’t spell things out to avoid hurting Qing Han’s feelings.

“Is this how Wu Tulong, Mo Qitian, and Zi Chen died?” Quick-witted as she was, Qing Han immediately connected the dots.

Lu Yun nodded silently.

“The technique is extremely complex. A powerful soul has to be used as the conduit, and it’s very difficult to refine the seed.” He lowered his head in contemplation. “Unless...”

Rumble.

Just as some sort of conclusion was in reach, a loud explosion ripped through the air and a violent tremor shook all of Jadeite Manor. Countless formations shattered and cracks snaked across the luxurious walls

Lu Yun’s head snapped up, his Spectral Eye shooting thin beams of black light as he looked outside.

“Surrender our clan traitor or be razed to the ground along with the manor!” announced the cold voice of an origin dao immortal. As one of the most powerful clans in Lazuli Major, it only made sense that the Mo Clan would possess an origin dao immortal.

“I… since when did I become a traitor?!” Mo Chenfeng went white and threw up a mouthful of blood, a heavy heart weighing him down.

“Hehehe, don’t worry, kid,” Ge Long offered in reassurance. “That old guy outside is an origin dao immortal. His dao fruit will protect him from soul planting.”

Mo Chenfeng’s face was as pale as a sheet. Blood continued gushing out of his mouth and his greying eyes showed no will to survive.

Traitor?

A traitor of the Mo Clan?

As one of the elite core disciples of the Mo Clan, Mo Chenfeng had been infused with thoughts of clan loyalty and collective benefit in every aspect of his life since he was young. Obedience and loyalty had marked his childhood, and to be a Mo suffused every fiber of his being. It was devastating beyond words to suddenly be deemed a traitor.

If the Mo Clan considered him a traitor, there was nothing he could do to change that. This was also the worst thing possible that could ever happen to him.

Lu Yun and Qing Han came up to him and the latter shoved a pill into his mouth to stabilize his condition, but Mo Chenfeng didn’t even try to consume the pill.

Bam!!

There was another great explosion outside the manor, collapsing countless structures and the last of the formations.

“Bastard!!” Lu Yun flew into a rage. That old fucker had just gone and destroyed the manor for no good reason! Not even the most cowardly of men would take that without putting up a fight!

“Kill that pig, Ge Long!” snarled Lu Yun.

“This, this old servant can’t, milord...” Ge Long wanted to break out into tears. He might have demonstrated great power when killing arcane dao divines, but when facing an origin dao immortal, he would be nothing but a punching bag.

A giant hand probed out and grabbed at the river of crystals encircling the manor. Not even origin dao immortals could resist the temptation of a hundred billion crystals.

Hum.

A sudden flash of golden brilliance marked the skies as a giant, pitch-black iron rod fell from the sky to crush the hand. Then it landed firmly in the center of Jadeite Manor, radiating golden ripples. The origin dao immortal shrieked with pain when his hand was smashed to a pulp.

“Scarlet Ape!!” growled the Mo origin dao immortal.

“Get out of my sight,” a voice boomed from above the iron rod. Color drained from the Mo immortal’s face and he dithered over his next steps.

“So it would seem that the divine race is as despicable as ever,” scoffed the voice.

That was the deciding factor that sent the Mo immortal fleeing. He didn’t dare remain longer now that Scarlet Ape had revealed his secret.

“Heavens, oh heavens, the monster spirit forefather! I’m, I’m-I’m-I’m so dead!” Yuan Tong, still in gorilla form, stared at the giant iron rod at the center of the courtyard with an expression of terror.

Lu Yun stared at the iron rod, a myriad of emotions flashing through his face. He’d thought Scarlet Ape would turn Destiny City upside down after coming in person, but it’d only sent its personal treasure. This was a marked difference from the Scarlet Ape of Lu Yun’s understanding—this action was one of calm and poise.

“You’ve recovered your ancestry,” came the voice. It was calm with no hints of violence, and it seemed to be implying something more than it was saying.

“Mi, milord...” Yuan Tong kept shuddering in fear.

“Since that is the case, you are no longer a silverback gorilla, but a Scarlet Ape.”

“Mi—huh?” Stillness and incomprehension descended in equal measure. It was a scarlet ape as well?

“There are two kinds of scarlet apes—gold scarlet apes and silver scarlet apes. The gold and silver bloodlines originated from us,” clarified Scarlet Ape. “You are a silver scarlet ape, now.”

Lu Yun gave Yuan Tong a closer look upon hearing those words. It did look somewhat similar to Scarlet Ape now.

As for reversion...

Lu Yun had raided the burial mound of a monster spirit heavyweight back in the central world and had Yuan Tong refine the legacy. That was most likely what had triggered its reversion and return to his tribe’s roots. It seemed that dead immortal had been a gorilla as well.

“Alright, cut the crap.” Lu Yun walked up to the iron rod. “I’ve misjudged you. You’re a lot more rational than I expected. So tell me, what do you want? The broken shard of your iron rod has been refined into my trump card, so returning it to you is impossible.”

The Black Emperor was how the feud between them had started.

“Besides, you slaughtered ninety percent of all inhabitants in Dusk Province and wrought devastation on my land. There will be no resolution for the grudge between us.” Lu Yun bluntly spoke his mind.

Beating around the bush would only end up biting him in the ass when conversing with monster spirits. Since Scarlet Ape had come and driven away the origin dao immortal of the Mo Clan, it must want something.

“Alright,” said Scarlet Ape. “I will not ask you for that segment of iron. I want a favor and will protect you and your people in Destiny City in return.”

“What is it?” Lu Yun asked with a frown.

“Within the qilin nest and spirit turtle nest east of the East Sea is sealed a silver scarlet ape. Release it for me, it’s my dao partner. Once you do that for me, I will leave Dusk Province in peace for the next thousand years.”