Chapter 67: Explosion

The Fire Persimmon shattered, and immediately detonated!

Yuan Dasheng's attention had been focused on Yuan Er, the Millennium Fire Persimmon, and the surrounding Mechanical Fireburst Monkeys.

Truly, he had never imagined that he himself would make a mistake!

It was simply impossible.

He had been harvesting Fire Persimmons for so many years; it had become an instinct. There was no possibility of error.

But the truth was, he had erred nonetheless!

At that moment, the ape's eyes bulged, watching helplessly as the Fire Persimmon in his hand self-destructed. And the self-destruction triggered other explosions, threatening a chain reaction throughout the entire Fire Persimmon Forest.

This was the Millennium Fire Persimmon Forest!

In this critical moment of life and death, Yuan Dasheng thought of Yuan Er, still within the forest.

Without a second thought, he rushed back to Yuan Er and shielded him.

Carrying Yuan Er, he tried to escape the Fire Persimmon Forest.

But Feisi wouldn't allow it!

This was the Fire Persimmon Immortal City's most important industry, his duty, and a key achievement during the City Lord's term.

Every small section of the Fire Persimmon Forest was isolated by arrays to prevent chain reactions from destroying the entire forest during harvesting.

The moment of the explosion triggered the defensive array, isolating this section of the Millennium Fire Persimmon Forest to prevent the explosion from spreading.

Yuan Dasheng and Yuan Er were trapped inside.

Boom, boom, boom…

The chain reaction began.

Yuan Er trembled violently, his body shaking like a sieve. He squeezed his eyes shut, clutching Yuan Dasheng's fur, and cried out, "Uncle Monkey, Uncle Monkey! I'm going to die, we're going to die!!"

Yuan Dasheng held him close, using his back to shield him from the exploding Fire Persimmon Forest.

The entire Fire Persimmon Forest was exploding!

In an instant, flames soared, raging like a massive crimson lotus blooming in the world, scorching hot, melting metal and vaporizing iron.

Terrifying flames and shockwaves rolled over, filling the entire array space.

The immense pressure of life and death contorted Yuan Dasheng's face. He instinctively wanted to use the Demonic Blood Tendon Art!

But suddenly, he understood something. He hesitated!

On the mountainside.

Ning Zuo's face was filled with astonishment. The firelight from the explosion turned his young, tender face red, but couldn't conceal the sinister gleam in his eyes.

"Success!" His heart pounded. At this moment, he was filled with wild joy.

This was the trap he had racked his brains to design, to kill Yuan Dasheng.

With such a terrifying explosion, Yuan Dasheng's life was in danger! He had to exert all his strength to have any hope of survival.

However, could he give it his all? Could he expose the Demonic Blood Tendon Art?

Once he exposed it, he would inevitably be hunted down and besieged!

Because this was a demonic art. There might be room for leniency in secret, but if he exposed it in broad daylight, which righteous cultivator would dare to protect him?

At this moment, the Four Great Powers were unaware of Yuan Dasheng's astonishing value in exploring the Magma Immortal Palace.

The Four Great Powers were jointly besieging the Black Shadow Demonic Cultivator.

What would their reaction be if a practitioner of demonic arts suddenly emerged?

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

The terrifying explosion and crimson flames gradually engulfed Yuan Dasheng and Yuan Er.

Yuan Dasheng held Yuan Er tightly, and in a daze, he saw Yuan Yi again.

Yuan Yi excitedly carried Yuan Er, running to Yuan Dasheng.

"Look, Dasheng, this is my child, he's my child!" Yuan Yi was ecstatic. "I have a child, I have descendants in this world."

Yuan Dasheng grinned, genuinely happy for Yuan Yi.

Yuan Yi handed the child directly to Yuan Dasheng.

Yuan Dasheng hurriedly took him, somewhat at a loss.

The infant was too small. He carefully supported him with his palm, feeling the warmth and fragility of the infant through the small swaddling cloth.

These things touched his heart.

Yuan Yi looked at Yuan Dasheng with a smile, "You like him too, right? That's great, cough cough cough!"

As he spoke, Yuan Yi spat out blood.

Yuan Dasheng quickly looked up, staring at Yuan Yi, and called out, his eyes filled with concern.

Yuan Yi waved his hand dismissively, "It's an old ailment, you know that."

He wiped the corner of his mouth and spat out another mouthful of blood, ignoring the pain coming from his body. He still grinned, "To climb up from the bottom step by step, to reach this position, how can you not pay a price?"

"You agree, right, Dasheng?"

The ape chuckled hoarsely, his scars being the best response.

Yuan Yi stretched his arms and took a deep breath, "Damn, I've lived this life, it's worth it."

Then, in a calm voice, he said, "I did it. This child has no mother anymore. Hmph, that woman even wanted to use the child to elevate her status. Without her, her family's manpower and assets are all ours!"

"I said I would make her regret it."

"I said I would repay the humiliation I suffered tenfold. I did what I said! Dasheng."

The ape nodded, his gaze toward the infant becoming much gentler.

Yuan Yi also looked at the infant, saying, "I named him Yuan Er. Dasheng, my life isn't as long as yours."

"If one day I'm gone, let Yuan Er replace Yuan Yi and continue to be with you."

…

Yuan Er was hungry and started crying. Yuan Dasheng squeezed juice from a face-basin-sized peach and poured it over him, turning Yuan Er into a drenched chicken.

Yuan Er fell ill. Yuan Dasheng moved like the wind through the Immortal City at night, barged into the apothecary, grabbed the pharmacist's neck, and dragged him all the way, flying and leaping. The pharmacist's screams shattered the tranquility of the moonlit night.

Yuan Er started climbing, grabbing Yuan Dasheng's thick fur, challenging the peaks. Every time he fell, he would be caught precisely by Yuan Dasheng's palm.

Yuan Er gradually grew up, but Yuan Yi grew weaker day by day, bedridden for a long time.

Finally.

In the last moments of his life, Yuan Yi said to Yuan Er, "You brat, rely on your Uncle Monkey from now on, and protect this family business for me."

The young Yuan Er sobbed uncontrollably.

Yuan Yi looked at the ape, experiencing a brief return of vitality, and shouted, "Dasheng! I, I…"

Yuan Dasheng echoed him, but unlike before, he couldn't hear what Yuan Yi would say next.

Yuan Yi lay on the bed, his eyes wide, his mouth open, with no sign of life.

The ape stood quietly, like a stone statue. His face was expressionless, but his ears seemed to be filled with thunder, a constant roar.

Rumble—!

The explosion was deafening. The terrifying explosion was like a prehistoric beast, instantly swallowing Yuan Dasheng and Yuan Er.

Then, the explosion was blocked by the array. The crimson light was blinding, completely filling the array space.

In just a few breaths, the firelight dissipated.

The surrounding people could see the inside of the array again.

A scorched earth, devastated. The once lush Fire Persimmon Forest had almost completely disappeared. Only a few persimmon trees remained, their trunks completely charred black, stubbornly standing upright.

Then, in the next moment, as the hot wind scattered, the charred trunks cracked open, scattering to the ground.

Yuan Dasheng was kneeling on the ground, like a stone statue.

Yuan Er moved in his arms, and Yuan Dasheng fell to the ground with a thud.

His skin was torn, his back was blown open, revealing his spine and white bones. His fur was gone, his skin was charred.

He squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. The intense pain, and his desperate expression, were frozen on his face.

Yuan Er was dazed. He blankly turned his head slowly, looking around, and then shuddered, waking up.

He quickly checked himself, finding that he had only suffered minor injuries.

It was a miracle!

Yuan Er was in disbelief. At the moment of the explosion, he thought he was dead! He didn't expect to be alive, and so well.