Chapter 120 - 78: The Pursuit of Longevity

Chapter 120: Chapter 78: The Pursuit of Longevity

The white ape had forgotten how it descended the mountain. It encountered no more tigers or macaques. Back in the small patch of forest its troop called home, it still found itself gazing at the cloud-shrouded peak.

This time, it wasn’t just staring blankly. It had begun to think.

’What is it that I seek?’

Its intelligence grew. Its thoughts came faster and faster, and the subjects of its contemplation deepened. Not only that, but a wealth of new knowledge began to surface in its mind.

It learned the difference between beasts and humans. One day, it had a realization: ’The being on that mountain wasn’t an ape. It was a person.’

Another day, it saw the old ape selecting fruits for brewing wine. Suddenly, it understood the concepts of spirits, monsters, and even Immortals. A new thought struck it: ’The being on the mountain isn’t a person. It’s an Immortal.’

But even so, it still did not know what it was seeking.

It tried farming, but in this lush, natural mountain forest, resources were so abundant there was never any fear of starvation.

It tried weaving. Wrapping vines and leaves around one’s waist became fashionable among the troop for a while, but it was soon forgotten. The garments weren’t comfortable, and in a mountain where the seasons were like an eternal spring, there was no need for warmth.

It even learned to create fire on its own, no longer needing to rely on embers from Thunderstruck Wood. However, it accidentally started a forest fire... Fortunately, a torrential downpour began that very day; otherwise, the creatures of the mountain would have likely faced a catastrophe.

Its wisdom wasn’t entirely useless, but it couldn’t bring about any world-altering changes in the mountain forest. The disparity left it feeling utterly dejected.

’Perhaps I’m not suited for this forest. But where else would I go?’ It had never left these green mountains; the farthest it had ever ventured was to that single peak.

’Perhaps wisdom isn’t what I’m looking for.’

The white ape continued to ponder and gaze at the cloud-shrouded peak, but it rarely dabbled in its strange new ideas anymore. It began to follow the old ape, learning to select fruits and brew wine; learning to gather medicinal herbs to treat its kin who were injured while playing or had fallen ill; learning to use plants with special scents to drive away predators and secure a safe territory for the troop...

This life wasn’t fulfilling, but it was peaceful. Day after day passed in this manner, and just when the white ape thought things would go on like this forever, disaster struck without warning.

An Ape-Eating Eagle appeared from out of nowhere and began to relentlessly attack the peaceful troop, plunging them into a state of constant fear.

One day, the Ape-Eating Eagle descended from the sky again, snatching away a young ape. The brutal scene—its eyes pecked out, its belly ripped open—was seared into the white ape’s vision.

That day, the white ape went deep into the forest. It swung farther and farther, ran faster and faster, a fire seemingly burning in its chest. By nightfall, the white ape had arrived at the foot of the mountain peak.

A light rain began to fall in the mountains, shrouding the already dark forest in an even deeper gloom. The white ape didn’t hesitate. It took a deep breath and plunged straight into the mountainside. Perhaps luck was on its side, for as it moved cautiously through the trees, it encountered no tigers. But a new problem now lay before it.

The rain hadn’t stopped. Though light, it had made the already treacherous stone steps dangerously slick. ’Can I make it to the summit this time?’

The white ape glanced at the mist still swirling about the peak in the rainy night and resolutely set foot upon the stone steps.

Pelted by the rain, its fur now completely soaked and plastered to its body, the white ape maintained a steady pace. It dared not pause or look back for even a second. It was unaware that at the most perilous sections, the path behind it narrowed to the width of its heel. It just kept climbing, step by resolute step.

Gradually, the wind and rain subsided. As the sun rose on a new day, the white ape finally reached the summit. The Immortal was indeed still there, his bearing unchanged, as if nothing in heaven or earth could possibly disturb his presence.

"White Ape, you have returned," the Immortal said. "This time, do you know what it is you seek?"

The white ape prostrated itself on the ground and replied, "Ape..."

It turned out that it had long understood human speech, but this was the first time it had ever spoken. With great difficulty, it said, word by word, "I... wish to protect... my troop."

The Immortal appeared before the white ape and asked, "So, what you seek is power?"

The white ape nodded eagerly.

The Immortal smiled and gently patted its head twice. "In that case," he said, "this time, I shall grant you Swordsmanship."

The white ape descended the mountain, a fine steel Longsword now upon its back, and returned to its troop.

Every day, it would practice with its sword in a forest clearing, becoming a blur of radiant light that drew many of the other apes to watch. A few of the cleverer ones even picked up branches and tried to imitate its movements.

One day, the sky was a perfect, cloudless blue. A black dot approached from the distance, and with a piercing cry, the Ape-Eating Eagle was once again circling overhead.

Panic swept through the troop, and they all scrambled for cover.

The white ape, however, gripped its sword tightly, climbed to a high branch, and began leaping openly from treetop to treetop.

The raptor’s sharp eyes instantly locked onto the reckless ape. As the Ape-Eating Eagle gradually descended, the white ape, seemingly oblivious, crouched down on a branch with its back to the predator.

Without hesitation, the Ape-Eating Eagle dove, aiming its talons straight for the white ape.

Just as it was about to be seized by the deadly talons, the white ape suddenly twisted its body. Like a sea dragon bursting from the waves, it leaped from the branch—not retreating, but advancing—to meet the Ape-Eating Eagle head-on. A glint of cold steel appeared from its grasp, the reflected sunlight momentarily dazzling the raptor’s eyes.

The white ape twisted into a strange posture mid-air, its body coiling like a python. With both hands, it thrust the Longsword forward. In a single strike, the blade drew a bloody line across the Ape-Eating Eagle. Ape and eagle plummeted into the forest below together.

The white ape staggered up from a pool of blood. It saw the Ape-Eating Eagle lying on the ground, its body still twitching faintly. A sense of savage triumph rose in its heart.

It had eliminated the threat to its troop. More than that, it now felt it could handle any creature—be it snake, tiger, or leopard. It had come to adore Swordsmanship. Even though the threat was gone, it continued to practice with its sword relentlessly each day.

The white ape believed it had finally found what it was seeking.

One day at high noon, as it was practicing its swordsmanship in the clearing, a gray ape suddenly came swinging through the trees. It interrupted the white ape’s movements, chattering and whimpering nonstop. Startled, the white ape scratched its head, slung the sword onto its back, and hurried after the gray ape to a cave.

There was nothing special about the cave, other than it being the home of the old ape. In the past, the younger members of the troop would come here to sneak sips of the old ape’s wine. Today, jars of that same wine were piled inside, but not a single ape touched them.

The old ape lay in the cave, its eyes shut. Its breath went out but did not come back in. It had clearly reached its Celestial Time.

When the white ape entered the cave, the old ape’s fingertips twitched, but it lacked the strength to lift its arm. In the end, it passed on without entrusting anything to it.

The white ape kept vigil for a day and a night, watching in a daze as the old ape finally succumbed and breathed its last.

The scene shook it to its core. For the first time, it had witnessed the natural end of a life. And for reasons it couldn’t comprehend, it felt an immense, overwhelming fear.

It feared death. It feared it so much that it couldn’t close its eyes to sleep. Tossing and turning, it finally got up and practiced its swordsmanship. The blade’s cold light was chilling, its Sword Qi formidable, slicing through stone and severing branches. Yet none of it gave the ape even a shred of security.

That night, the white ape left its Longsword behind, departed from the troop alone, and once again arrived at the foot of the mountain.

This time, it encountered no difficulties. As it set foot on the stone steps, it felt an effortless lightness. It climbed faster and faster, yet no matter its speed, it still arrived at the summit precisely as the sun crested the eastern horizon.

It prostrated itself at the Immortal’s feet. The Immortal patted its head gently and asked, "And what do you seek this time?"

The white ape answered, "Disciple wishes to seek eternal life."