Chapter 2773: Progenitor Wushang And Ghost Monkey  

Wang Gui quickly scolded Wang Man before turning to Wei Rong. The old man wanted to say something, but Wei Rong simply smiled at him and said, "Father-in-law, you don't need to worry. I know what to do."

Wang Gui stared at the young man for a moment before nodding and dragging Wang Man away.

Wei Rong stretched out. This was so exciting! Fighting against the four ruling powers was like dancing on the tip of the knife, but he loved it..

...

Lu Yin left the Perennial World, disappointed that he had not been able to see Bai Xian'er.

He did not even know where Bai Xian'er had gone to, but she had not been in the Perennial World for her Semi-Progenitor breakthrough either.

However, where else could Bai Xian’er break through? She cultivated stellular energy, which could only be found in the Origin Universe.

Could she have gone to the Cyclic Universe? They also had stellular energy, but it was the inverse of the Origin Universe’s stellular energy.

While thinking, Lu Yin took a step forward, arriving at the Astral River. Just as he was about to continue on, he remembered something and instead turned towards Erudite Flowzone. He had just remembered that Progenitor Wushang’s body had been buried at the bottom of the Astral River, and while it was of little use to humans, it could greatly benefit the Astral Beast Domain.

Raising the overall strength of the Astral Beast Domain would also improve the Fifth Mainland’s strength for when they eventually needed to fight against Aeternus.

Lu Yin double checked the location that the Ghost Monkey had given him, and then unleashed his domain to scan the bottom of the Astral River.

A while later, he found Progenitor Wushang’s corpse slightly off of the Ghost Monkey’s specified location.

There were powerful creatures swimming in the Astral River near Progenitor Wushang’s corpse, and the corpse’s presence had formed a unique environment that could trap or even kill powerful cultivators. Even if an Envoy approached the area, they might not be able to live to touch Progenitor Wushang’s corpse.

However, such things could no longer pose the slightest threat to Lu Yin.

He easily dredged up the massive corpse of Progenitor Wushang from the bottom of the Astral River.

It was hard to even discern what the beast’s original form had been, as the corpse was now half a skeleton with unspoiled flesh clinging to the bones. It was massive and undoubtedly one of the largest astral beasts to have ever lived.

Lu Yin looked closer and even pressed his hand against Progenitor Wushang’s hide, which caused a feeling of shock to strike him.

Early on in Lu Yin’s cultivation, he had obtained a bit of Progenitor Wushang’s hide, which had helped him tremendously in battle. Even Envoys had been stunned when they laid eyes on Progenitor Wushang’s hide.

However, that stunning effect no longer impacted Lu Yin at all.

It seemed that the effect had come from Progenitor Wushang’s innate gift.

Progenitor Wushang had lived during the Daosource Sect era, which was the same time period as the Human Domain’s Nine Mountains and Eight Seas. When the Fifth Mainland and the Sixth Mainland had gone to war, Progenitor Wushang had died, taking one of the Sixth Mainland’s Progenitors with him.

When Lu Yin had first learned of Progenitor Wushang, Progenitors had been far beyond Lu Yin’s comprehension, and for many years, Lu Yin had perceived Progenitor Wushang as an incredibly powerful individual.

However, it seemed that, in reality, Progenitor Wushang had been a perfectly average Progenitor. While just being a Progenitor meant that the astral beast had been incredibly powerful, if Lu Yin were to fight against the astral beast, it would be hard to say who would be the final victor. There was a very good chance that Lu Yin could win, as it was likely that Progenitor Wushang had been about as powerful as Cloudflow or the Progenitor of Bloodlines.

In the past, Progenitor Wushang had simply been too far beyond Lu Yin’s level. After all, the Fifth Mainland had not even had any Progenitors after the Sixth Mainland replaced their sky.

Lu Yin carried the enormous corpse of Progenitor Wushang back to the Heavens Sect.

The jiao bared its teeth and claws the moment it laid eyes on the corpse, but a sharp look from Lu Yin made the jiao behave.

Everyone in the Heavens Sect saw the corpse of Progenitor Wushang, and the sight stunned them all.

Not everyone was able to look directly at Progenitor Wushang’s hide, but Lu Yin did not give any warnings. Looking would serve as a lesson.

The ones who were the most strongly affected were Skymender and the Ghost Monkey. They were the only ones to feel the full pressure exuded by Progenitor Wushang’s corpse.

One entered the shadows and moved closer, while the other tore through the void, instantly arriving beside the corpse.

Lu Yin stood before the partial skeleton, his hands clasped behind his back. "Ghost Monkey, you told me that this would be beneficial to the Astral Beast Domain, so I’ve brought it back. Don't let me down."

Skymender bowed to Lu Yin. "Thank you, Dao Monarch, for bringing back Progenitor Wushang’s body. The Astral Beast Domain will never forget the Dao Monarch’s incredible kindness."

The Ghost Monkey rushed forward and excitedly shouted, "Seventh Bro, you really brought back Progenitor Wushang’s corpse!"

Lu Yin calmly replied, "It took a good bit of effort, so if this doesn't work, watch out. I might just give the Celestial Ice Phoenixes to someone else for their harem."

The Ghost Monkey jumped in fright. "This will be useful! Definitely! Skymender, don’t you think so too?"

Skymender stared at the massive corpse in amazement. Even if only half the body was left, it was still Progenitor Wushang’s corpse. The pale bones still radiated a powerful pressure. "Both the bones and the hide will be extremely useful to my Astral Beast Domain. There’s still blood oozing out!”

Lu Yin was surprised to realize that, despite half of the body being gone and the corpse mostly being bones, there was still some blood left, even if it was the tiniest trace.

"Truly, Progenitors are amazing. The body is immortal, and after countless years, even though some of the body has been reduced to dust, his blood still remains within the bones," Skymender sighed in amazement.

Lu Yin remembered that the Sea King had once smashed open the Upper Three Gates with Progenitor Chen's blood stained clothes. Those clothes had been just as old as Progenitor Wushang and equally powerful.

In some ways, Progenitors could be regarded as a different type of living being.

The Ghost Monkey smiled. "Seventh Bro, look, it might help!"

As he spoke, the Ghost Monkey put his paws on the corpse.

Suddenly, a tremendous heartbeat echoed in the ears of everyone present in the Heavens Sect.

Lu Yin's expression changed, and his eyes were glued to the Ghost Monkey.

Skymender reacted in the exact same way as countless people turned to look towards them.

The Ghost Monkey’s eyes lost focus, and his claws seemed to merge with the corpse as the traces of blood moved out of the bones and into the Ghost Monkey’s own body.

A shockwave swept out as the Ghost Monkey released a cry of pain. The shockwave was so powerful that it even made Skymender instinctively retreat.

Arch-Elder Zen, Master Shan, and Cloudflow all moved out to surround the giant corpse. Lu Yin continued to stare at the Ghost Monkey.

There was a fierce expression on the beast’s face as he let out a roar. He wanted to pull away from Progenitor Wushang's corpse, but he was unable to break free.

"Seventh Bro, help me!" the Ghost Monkey begged in a hoarse voice. His heartbeat was growing louder and louder, and it had even drawn the jiao’s attention.

Lu Yin lashed out with a palm strike that cracked Progenitor Wushang’s bones. The Ghost Monkey instantly reacted and pulled away. He tumbled over several times before slamming into a wall, where he panted for breath, looking as though he had barely survived.

Everyone stared at the beast, uncertain of what had just happened.

Lu Yin’s eyes were still intently focused, but he said nothing.

After a while, the Ghost Monkey managed to calm himself down. He shakily rose up and let out a breath. "That scared me half to death!"

He glared at Progenitor Wushang’s corpse in open fury and then jumped up, cursing. "You old bastard, didn't you tell me yes? Didn’t you agree to separate? Even after that, you want to replace me? Bah!

"My fate belongs to me alone! I belong to myself! An old bastard like you wants to scheme against me? You must be dreaming!

"I’ll never compromise, and I will die alone, you old, shameless bastard..."

...

The Ghost Monkey continued to curse, clearly furious.

Finally, Lu Yin shouted, "Enough! What happened?"

The Ghost Monkey suddenly turned to glare at Lu Yin. "How brazen!"

Lu Yin’s eyebrows shot up, and Skymender took a step back. Strange expressions appeared on the faces of Arch-Elder Zen and Cloudflow, while Master Shan instantly appeared in front of the Ghost Monkey. "How presumptuous!"

As the old man spoke, he lashed out with a hand.

The Ghost Monkey was terrified. "Seventh Bro, help me–!"

"Master Shan, just a moment." Lu Yin stopped the attack from landing.

There was a hideous expression on Master Shan's face as he glared at the Ghost Monkey. "How dare you speak so rudely to the young master? Do that again, and I’ll have you torn to pieces and strung up outside the sect’s gate next time!"

The Ghost Monkey wailed, "That wasn’t me!"

Lu Yin felt that something seemed off. "Explain to me, what just happened?"

The Ghost Monkey crawled over to Lu Yin's feet and clung to his legs. "Seventh Bro, thank you, thank you! Without you, this little monkey would have been done for! Seventh Bro, you have to stand up for me!”

Lu Yin kicked the monkey away. "Start making sense."

The Ghost Monkey shamelessly crawled back over to Lu Yin. "It was that old bastard, Progenitor Wushang! I finally understand why he created me. He wanted to reincarnate through me."

Arch-Elder Zen and others were taken aback. Reincarnate? That did not sound good at all.

Each living creature had their own lives, and one’s life was what defined them. If a person reincarnated, they would no longer be the same person that they had been before, and the cost to come back could not be low.

Even for Progenitors, the idea of reincarnation was something that they would be hesitant to even touch.

From the Ghost Monkey’s explanation, Lu Yin realized that this was the entire reason why the Ghost Monkey had been created in the first place.

The Ghost Monkey had been born from Progenitor Wushang’s blood. The Progenitor had used his own blood and shadow to create the Ghost Monkey, but no one knew why Progenitor Wushang had done so, not even the Ghost Monkey. It was only at this moment that the Ghost Monkey learned the truth.

As soon as the monkey made contact with Progenitor Wushang’s corpse, the Progenitor’s remnant consciousness had entered the Ghost Monkey’s body through its blood. The fact that the Ghost Monkey had been born from Progenitor Wushang’s blood meant that there was no conflict, and the remnant consciousness would be able to smoothly replace the Ghost Monkey’s. This would cause the Ghost Monkey to essentially become a reborn Progenitor Wushang.

Despite not being the true Progenitor Wushang, the Ghost Monkey would essentially become the reincarnation of Progenitor Wushang.

"Do you need to be so cruel to me? Seventh Bro, the one who spoke to you so arrogantly just now wasn’t me, but rather Progenitor Wushang’s remnant consciousness! That was what wanted to make trouble for you! Seventh Bro, you have to believe me!" the Ghost Monkey wailed.

Everyone remained silent, understanding that the Ghost Monkey was telling the truth. He was nothing more than a back-up plan left behind by Progenitor Wushang.

The monkey had been born from Progenitor Wushang’s blood, which had allowed the Ghost Monkey to locate Progenitor Wushang’s corpse. Such a corpse was an incredible temptation for the Astral Beast Domain, and it was a guarantee that the corpse would eventually be found and that the Ghost Monkey would come into contact with it. At that time, Progenitor Wushang would be reborn.

However, the Progenitor had not anticipated Lu Yin’s presence, which had saved the Ghost Monkey.

Even at his peak, Progenitor Wushang might not have been able to defeat Lu Yin, let alone a mere corpse.

If not for Lu Yin, the Ghost Monkey would no longer be himself.

Lu Yin stared at the monkey, who had just broken through to the level of a Semi-Progenitor, which was a bit freakish.

During the competition for the Astral Tower, the Ghost Monkey had swallowed a bit of a Progenitor’s blood, which had caused his strength to spike by an incredible amount. After absorbing Progenitor Wushang’s blood, the Ghost Monkey had not simply received an increase in strength; rather, it had been transformed.

Even so, he still looked weak and pathetic.

"Are you the Ghost Monkey or Progenitor Wushang right now?" Arch-Elder Zen asked.

The Ghost Monkey shouted, "Of course I’m me! There’s no way that I’m Progenitor Wushang!"

"How can you prove it?" Master Shan frowned.

The Ghost Monkey wailed, "If I were Progenitor Wushang, I would have never told you what just happened."

After just a moment’s thought, everyone realized that this was true. If Progenitor Wushang had successfully taken over the Ghost Monkey, he would have never risked creating doubts by sharing what had happened. There were other excuses that he could have given.

"Seventh Bro, I know a secret! A big secret!" The Ghost Monkey suddenly remembered something, and he was eager to show off to Lu Yin.