Chapter 79: My Name is Jiu Nu

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

The formations they had set up were quite powerful. When combined, they could withstand even a Fifth Stage Cultivator! Han Feixing's Flying Star Formation was particularly formidable, with its Flying Star Arrows. Each of the hundred people in the formation wielded a Spirit-grade arrow. A single volley could force a Fifth Stage Cultivator to retreat. He roared, "Fire!"

Prince Chai and the others watched the scene outside, calming down, and said to Ye Wen beside him, "Little Wen, don't be afraid. City Lord Han's Flying Star Formation is extraordinary. Look at those arrows; each one has a Spirit-grade attack! Far superior to our Mortal-grade attacks! Once this rain of arrows passes, the three Cultivators of our Three Talents Formation will charge forward..."

As he spoke, his eyes sparkled, and he waved his hand grandly, "This ape must die! It's finished!"

However, it was clear that his conclusion was premature.

The giant ape's strength far exceeded that of Third, Fourth, and Fifth Stage Cultivators. No Spirit-grade arrows could even pluck a single purple hair from its body. It swung its arms, picking up huge trees and throwing them at the Flying Star Formation. Its movements were swift; after throwing a batch, it would uproot more and throw them again. The hundred-person Flying Star Formation quickly became a laughingstock, with many being crushed by the trees. The Chai family's Three Talents Formation fared even worse, with two of the three Cultivators killed. Ling Yunxiao's Iron Hoof Eighty Riders, fortunately, were on horseback and escaped quickly, suffering fewer casualties.

With the formations in disarray, their power was completely lost, and everyone fled in panic.

However, the giant ape, cunning as it was, did not pursue them. Instead, it turned around and headed back to Lian Valley.

Prince Chai, who had been calm a moment ago, was now in a panic, "What can we do? Father, save me, Father!"

Chai's family head was so anxious that he was on the verge of tears, shouting, "My son, don't panic, don't panic!"

As the giant ape was about to charge into the valley, fortunately, the young prince, with his noble lineage, produced a Tang Dynasty heirloom. Being a direct descendant of the Tang family, he still had some means to protect himself.

"May my ancestors of the Tang family protect us! Ancestral Treasure, Spirit Barrier!"

After the Tang Dynasty heirloom was activated, the spiritual energy in the air surged, forming a barrier at the entrance of Lian Valley, temporarily blocking the giant ape.

Seeing the barrier hold the ape back, Ling Yunxiao and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. They knew they couldn't defeat the giant ape and shouted, "Hold on a bit longer, we will immediately contact the Nine Provinces Academy!"

Ling Yunxiao, Chai Jin, and Han Feixing had no choice but to retreat to the main peak and try to gather stronger forces. The nearest city was Yunzhou, and requesting the Nine Provinces Academy's experts to come by Heavenly Will Shuttle should take only half a day.

The Mystic Cloud Purple Ape was not deterred; its anger had not yet subsided. It pounded its massive fists against the white light barrier, causing the ground to shake and the people in the valley to tremble in fear, unsure when the fierce ape would break through and kill them all.

In this situation, Ding Hao returned to the hunting area.

"Why are there so few people? On the last day, it should be a rush, and it shouldn't be this quiet." Ding Hao walked back, not encountering a single person on the way.

"What's going on? Even the places where the judges should be standing are empty?"

"Did they end early?" Ding Hao was considering whether to return directly to the main peak when he suddenly heard a deafening boom from Lian Valley.

"Did they all go to Lian Valley for the hunt?"

He had been training in a secret base for the past three days and hadn't caught a single prey. He thought he might find some opportunities in Lian Valley.

As he approached Lian Valley, he became increasingly shocked.

He saw many giant trees lying on the ground, each several meters tall and requiring a dozen people to encircle. They now lay helplessly on the ground.

As he moved forward, the ground began to tremble, and the deafening booms made his heart race.

Da Huang said, "There's a fierce beast ahead, a very strong one! Be careful."

Its nose was extremely sensitive, far surpassing that of ordinary people and dogs. It had already detected the scent of the fierce beast. Ding Hao slowed down and, after a while, saw a massive figure in the distance. He hid behind a giant tree and peeked out...

"This beast is huge." Ding Hao had never seen such a tall beast in this world, standing over ten meters tall, covered in purple fur, resembling a giant purple-furred man.

It had a long upper body and short legs, a Purple-furred Giant Ape!

Looking further, he saw a white light barrier at the valley entrance, with the giant ape pounding it with its fists. Each punch caused the barrier to tremble.

Behind the transparent barrier, he could see Prince Chai, the young prince, and others with pale faces, looking terrified.

Seeing this, Ding Hao found it amusing, "Young Prince Chai, you have your day too."

He also saw Ding Juncai, whom he wished would be crushed to death by the giant ape. However, he then noticed the talented beauty Ye Wen inside.

"She's in there too. Watching a beauty die would be quite a downer." Ding Hao pinched his chin, trying to find a way to help, but he realized he was powerless on his own.

At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed in his ear, "Mystic Cloud Purple Ape, a low-grade spirit beast. You have the Fierce Vine Green Jade Golden Silk; it's easy to kill it."

"Who?" Ding Hao was startled and carefully sensed, discovering that the voice came from the figure in the blood cloud!

At the center of the Star Absorbing Stone's space, the blood cloud was rolling rhythmically, like red silk in the wind.

The voice had come from the figure.

"Who are you?" Ding Hao had never received a response from this person before, but now he had spoken on his own.

"To drink wine and sing, how long is life?" The figure sighed, "So many years have passed, I myself don't even know who I am." Despite this, he continued, "Since you are my master, you have the right to know my name. I am called Jiu Nu!"

"Jiu Nu?" Ding Hao was surprised and asked, "Who are you really? Why do you live in the Star Absorbing Stone?"

"Time has been too long, I can't remember. I need to recover slowly." The figure spoke elegantly, "Ding Hao, you are the owner of the Demon Lord Relic, and you have released a part of my body. You are my master! I can only remember that my mission is to help you find the Demon Lord's legacy and become the Demon Lord!"

"The Demon Lord's legacy!" Ding Hao was initially delighted but then asked, "Can I just get the legacy without becoming a demon?"

The figure replied calmly, "To become a仙, one must first become a demon."

"But I don't want to become a demon!"

"That's not up to you." The figure's tone remained indifferent, showing no sense of servitude.

Ding Hao, irritated, said, "I don't care who you are. I just want to tell you that my fate is decided by me! Even if it's a wrong decision, I won't allow anyone else to decide for me! Also, since you're called Jiu Nu, you should have the awareness of a servant! You should have professional ethics, and a servant should act like a servant. I don't like your arrogant tone!"

The figure in the blood cloud was speechless, stunned for a moment before replying, "Yes."

Ding Hao then asked, "What did you say about the Demon Lord Relic? What is it?"

Jiu Nu said, "The Demon Lord Relic is the stone on your hand."

"So this is called the Demon Lord Relic." Ding Hao looked at the Star Absorbing Stone on his finger, thinking the name was indeed powerful. However, he said, "Now this thing belongs to me, and I've given it a new name: Star Absorbing Stone. Remember that."

Jiu Nu was taken aback again, finding it hard to keep up with such a unique master.

Ding Hao asked, "What is the origin of the Star Absorbing Stone?"

"Um, the Star Absorbing Stone..." Jiu Nu adjusted and continued, "I can't remember the details, but in general, both the Demon Lord and the Immortal Lord clans wanted to bear the Heavenly Will. It was said that the Heavenly Will appeared in the Immortal-Demon Cave. The two clans fought a fierce battle there, and my former master, the Heaven-Cleaving Demon Lord, eventually seized the Heavenly Will but couldn't control it! To prevent the Heavenly Will from falling into the hands of the hypocritical Immortal Lords, the Heaven-Cleaving Demon Lord detonated it, shattering the Immortal-Demon Cave and causing the collapse of the Nine Heavens! The Heavenly Will was too powerful, and the Heaven-Cleaving Demon Lord himself was transformed into nine pieces of the Demon Lord Relic, each carrying one of his nine great demonic arts, scattering!"

After finishing, Jiu Nu realized he had used the wrong term and quickly corrected, "Now it's called the Star Absorbing Stone."

Ding Hao nodded, satisfied with Jiu Nu's correction, and asked, "Is the Life-Transcending Demon Art one of the nine demonic arts? What about the others?"

Jiu Nu actually wanted to ask, "Didn't you say you didn't want to become a demon?" But he didn't, and instead replied, "I can't remember the other details. My body is sealed within the Demon Lord Relic... no, the Star Absorbing Stone. Only when the space is fully opened can I be restored."

"Is that so?" Ding Hao nodded and asked, "Since you have such a grand background, here's the question: How do we deal with the giant ape in front of us?"

A starlight, the Light of Wisdom, flew out from the blood cloud. Jiu Nu said, "First, cultivate this art. It's a simple art, and I can help you eliminate the giant ape."

Ding Hao reached out into the air and grabbed the Light of Wisdom, pressing it into his forehead. Instantly, a cultivation art appeared before him.

"The Life-Transcending Demon Art."

Ding Hao skimmed through it, frowning deeply.

The art described how to absorb others' mental energy and integrate it into one's own, greatly enhancing one's mental awareness. Ding Hao asked, "Jiu Nu, does the mental energy mentioned in the art refer to your mental energy?"

"Exactly."

Ding Hao countered, "If I absorb your mental energy into my will, and you have malicious intentions, trying to kill my mental energy and take over my body, wouldn't I be doomed?"

Jiu Nu, still polite, smiled, "Do you not trust me? You are my master, and I am your servant. Why would I harm you? Let me explain."