Chapter 67: Explosion

As soon as the fiery persimmon was broken, it immediately self-detonated!

Yuan Dasheng’s attention had been entirely focused on Yuan Er, the millennial fiery persimmon, and the surrounding mechanical Fireburst Monkeys. He truly never considered that he himself could make a mistake. It was simply impossible. After so many years of picking persimmons, it had become a reflex—there was no possibility of error.

Yet, the reality was that he had made a mistake.

In that instant, the ape’s eyes widened in fury as he watched helplessly while the persimmon in his hand exploded. The blast triggered further explosions, and a chain reaction swept through the entire grove. The whole millennial persimmon forest was about to erupt in a cascading inferno.

This was the millennial fire persimmon forest!

At the brink of life and death, Yuan Dasheng suddenly remembered Yuan Er, who was still in the forest. Without a second thought, he raced back to shield Yuan Er, scooping him into his arms and making for the edge of the grove, desperate to escape with him.

But Fei Si would not allow it!

This was the most vital industry in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, the very heart of his duties, and a key achievement of the Lord Mayor’s tenure. Each small section of the forest was separated by formation arrays, expressly to prevent a chain reaction during harvest that might destroy the entire forest.

The moment the first explosion occurred, the defensive formation was triggered, isolating this patch of millennial persimmons and preventing the blast from spreading further.

Yuan Dasheng and Yuan Er were trapped inside.

Thunderous explosions erupted.

The chain reaction had begun.

Yuan Er was trembling violently, his body shaking like a leaf, his eyes squeezed shut as he clung to Yuan Dasheng’s fur, screaming, “Uncle Monkey! Uncle Monkey! We’re going to die! We’re both going to die!!”

Yuan Dasheng cradled him tightly, shielding him with his own back from the inferno.

The entire persimmon grove erupted.

In an instant, flames soared to the sky, a torrent of fire surging like a colossal crimson lotus blooming upon the world—so hot it could melt gold and iron. The terrifying fire and shockwave rolled through the space confined by the array, filling every corner.

The immense pressure of life and death twisted Yuan Dasheng’s features into a savage grimace. Instinctively, he wanted to call upon the Demon-Stained Blood Tendon Technique!

But suddenly, something dawned on him—he hesitated.

Halfway up the mountain, Ning Zhuo’s face was lit with astonishment, the exploding fire reflecting crimson on his youthful features, but unable to dispel the cold gleam in his eyes.

“It worked!” His heart raced, wild joy surging within him.

This was the carefully laid trap he had devised, his plan to send Yuan Dasheng to his doom. With such a fearsome explosion, Yuan Dasheng’s life hung by a thread! Only with every ounce of his might could he hope to survive at all.

But could he truly give his all? Could he expose the Demon-Stained Blood Tendon Technique?

If he did, he would be hunted down and eradicated! For this was a demonic art—perhaps there might be leeway in secret, but to reveal it before so many witnesses, which righteous cultivator would dare shelter him?

At this point, the four major factions did not yet know the incredible value Yuan Dasheng had discovered in the Lava Immortal Palace.

The four factions were united in their campaign to purge the Shadow Demon Cultivator.

Suddenly, if one among them revealed skill in demonic arts, how would they react?

In this suspended moment, time seemed to slow.

The terrifying blast, the crimson flames, steadily engulfed Yuan Dasheng and Yuan Er.

Yuan Dasheng held Yuan Er close. In a daze, he seemed to see Yuan Yi again.

Yuan Yi, full of excitement, carried Yuan Er to Yuan Dasheng.

“Look, Dasheng, this is my child—my very own child!” Yuan Yi exclaimed ecstatically. “I have a child now. I have a descendant in this world.”

Yuan Dasheng grinned, genuinely happy for him.

Yuan Yi handed the baby to Yuan Dasheng.

Awkwardly, Yuan Dasheng received the infant, careful to support him with a huge, gentle palm. Even through the swaddling, he could feel the warmth and fragility of the child.

All of it touched him deeply.

Yuan Yi watched him with a smile. “You like him too, don’t you? That’s wonderful. Ah, cough, cough—” He coughed up blood.

Yuan Dasheng looked up anxiously, his eyes full of concern.

Yuan Yi waved a hand dismissively. “Old problem, you know that.” He wiped his mouth and spat another mouthful of blood, but despite the pain, he grinned. “Climbing from the gutters to where I am now—how could I not pay a price?”

“Isn’t that right, Dasheng?”

The ape gave a few heavy chuckles, his many scars the best answer.

Yuan Yi stretched his arms, took a deep breath. “Damn, I’ve lived my life and it’s been worth it.”

Then, more quietly, he added, “I’ve acted. The child’s mother is gone now. Hmph—she thought she could use her son to leverage power? Without her, her family’s people and assets are ours!”

“I said I’d make her regret it. I said the humiliation I suffered would be returned to them many times over. I meant it, Dasheng.”

The ape nodded, his gaze toward the baby softening.

Yuan Yi looked at the child. “I’ll name him Yuan Er. Dasheng, my life won’t last as long as yours. If one day I’m gone, let Yuan Er take my place, and stay with you.”

…

Yuan Er grew hungry and cried. Yuan Dasheng squeezed the juice from a peach the size of a basin, pouring it over him—ending with Yuan Er drenched, a drowned little monkey.

When Yuan Er fell ill, Yuan Dasheng sped through the immortal city at night, stormed into the apothecary, seized the healer by the throat, and dragged him through the night, the man’s screams shattering the moonlit silence.

As Yuan Er learned to climb, he gripped Yuan Dasheng’s thick fur, challenging ever higher. Each time he fell, Yuan Dasheng caught him with perfect timing.

Yuan Er slowly grew, while Yuan Yi weakened day by day, bedridden for longer and longer.

In the end.

In his final moments, Yuan Yi said to Yuan Er, “Brat, from now on, rely on your Uncle Monkey. Guard our family’s legacy.”

Young Yuan Er wept uncontrollably.

Yuan Yi looked at the ape, gathering his last strength for a final shout: “Dasheng! I—I…”

Yuan Dasheng called out in return, but this time, there was no answer.

Yuan Yi lay on the bed, eyes wide, mouth open, completely still—life had left him.

The ape stood in silence, like a stone statue. His face was expressionless, but in his ears, it was as if thunder crashed from the heavens, roaring without pause.

Rumble—!

The explosion was deafening, a cataclysmic beast swallowing Yuan Dasheng and Yuan Er in an instant.

Then the blast was contained by the array, the crimson light blinding, filling every inch of the confined space.

Within a few breaths, the flames died away.

Those outside could once more see into the array.

All was scorched earth, devastation everywhere. The once-lush persimmon grove had almost vanished; only a few charred trunks remained, stubbornly upright. In the next moment, as the hot wind scattered, the brittle wood collapsed, falling in heaps.

Yuan Dasheng knelt on one knee, like a statue of stone.

Yuan Er stirred in his arms, and Yuan Dasheng toppled over with a muffled thud.

His flesh was torn, his back blasted to the bone, fur gone, skin blackened and burnt.

His eyes were tightly shut, his teeth bared in a rictus of agony, the strain of desperate protection etched on his face.

Yuan Er’s face was blank with shock. He slowly turned his head, looking around in confusion, then shuddered and snapped back to his senses.

He quickly checked himself—astonished to find only minor injuries.

It was a miracle.

He could hardly believe it. In the moment of the explosion, he thought he was doomed. Yet here he was—alive, and almost unscathed.