Gu Xiu was no stranger to using the Green Bamboo Rod; the motions were second nature to him. With a practiced flick of his wrist, the spiritual thread arced through the air and vanished into the void.

Based on his past experience, a bite should have come quickly.

However, this time… things were unusual.

A quarter of an hour passed, and the rod remained motionless. Half an hour drifted by, still no movement. After a full hour, the bamboo was as still as a dead tree.

In the dream that spanned a millennium in a glance, such droughts were actually quite common. Jiang Xun had encountered them frequently, often cursing under his breath while he waited, only to pull up some useless trash in the end.

In contrast, Gu Xiu remained as calm as a still lake.

Five hundred years in the Forbidden Realm and three years lying low in the shallows had left him with unbearable memories, but they had also forged an infinite patience. His spirit was like a cloud—free to roll and unfurl, drifting to the ends of the earth, unconstrained and carefree.

Five hundred years ago, he might have complained about such tedious monotony. But now, Gu Xiu savored the rare tranquility. Holding the Green Bamboo Rod, he waited quietly, his heart devoid of sorrow or joy, his face free from worry.

Finally.

After waiting a full three hours.

The Green Bamboo Rod suddenly jerked downward with such violence that it nearly tore from Gu Xiu’s grasp.

Immediately after, he felt a distinct sensation—as if someone on the other end had grabbed the fishing line and was actively tying something to it.

This piqued Gu Xiu’s curiosity immensely. He recalled that even in the millennium-long dream, Jiang Xun had never encountered such a situation. What could possibly be on the other end?

Just then, the resistance on the line suddenly vanished.

A spatial ripple shimmered into existence. Faintly, through the tear in reality, one could hear earth-shaking battle cries and the wild, raucous laughter of a man.

“Breaching the camp to slay the Peerless Emperor! Leading the remnant troops to death without return!”

“Marvelous!”

“Truly marvelous!”

“Hahahaha…”

Accompanied by that bold, tragic laughter, the spiritual thread of the Green Bamboo Rod retracted instantly, dragging its catch—or rather, its burden—through the void.

To call it ‘fishing’ wasn’t quite accurate; it seemed more like something had been entrusted to the line.

When the object finally materialized, even Gu Xiu, whose heart was usually as still as an ancient well, couldn’t help but show a flicker of surprise.

It was… a living creature.

Trussed up tightly at the end of the spiritual thread was a small monkey. It was completely ink-black and no larger than a human palm.

The creature appeared to be only a few days old, emaciated and scrawny. It seemed bewildered by its sudden change in surroundings and was clumsily pawing at the spiritual threads binding it.

But its struggles were futile; the more it thrashed, the tighter the Green Bamboo Rod’s threads constricted. In mere moments, the threads had wound around its neck, causing the little monkey’s eyes to roll back in its head.

Gu Xiu found it strange but gave the Green Bamboo Rod a slight shake.

Instantly, the threads loosened.

The little black monkey gasped for air, clutching its throat as if granted a great reprieve. It looked at the Green Bamboo Rod with undisguised fear.

However, its gaze soon shifted to Gu Xiu.

Its eyes first showed curiosity, then quickly lit up with delight. It scrambled over to Gu Xiu, hopping up and down excitedly, seeming overjoyed to see him.

Gu Xiu frowned slightly and extended a finger to block the creature’s approach.

But the black monkey showed unusual affection. Undeterred by Gu Xiu’s rejection, it cheerfully tried to nuzzle closer. After a brief back-and-forth between man and beast, the monkey finally seemed to understand Gu Xiu’s boundaries.

It obediently stopped advancing, though its gaze remained full of joy and adoration.

“Does this monkey see me as family?”

“Or is this some unique effect of the Green Bamboo Rod?”

Gu Xiu pondered the creature’s behavior.

Just then, a loud gurgle broke the silence. Gu Xiu looked down to see the black monkey clutching its stomach, staring at him pitifully.

“Are you hungry?” Gu Xiu asked.

The little monkey clearly understood. It nodded repeatedly, pointing emphatically at its stomach and then its mouth, its eyes shining with hope. A tuft of hair on its head stood straight up, giving it a comically endearing appearance.

Gu Xiu smiled slightly. He casually took out some ordinary spirit fruits from his storage ring.

The monkey’s eyes instantly lit up. It bounced excitedly but, surprisingly, respected manners and didn’t rush to snatch the food. It waited until Gu Xiu handed over a fruit.

The monkey took it and immediately stuffed it into its mouth, taking a massive bite. Its pitch-black eyes squinted into happy slits, as if it had never tasted anything so delicious in its short life.

What followed was a ravenous feast.

At first, Gu Xiu worried the palm-sized creature might burst from overeating. But after it devoured a pile of fruits taller than itself with gusto and still looked unsatisfied, he stopped worrying.

He promptly produced more fruits, piling them up for the monkey to eat freely.

Though unsure of this creature’s origins, given that it was caught by the Green Bamboo Rod and accompanied by such heroic laughter, Gu Xiu guessed it was extraordinary. It was unlikely to die from gluttony.

While Gu Xiu observed his new companion, the storage ring he had taken from Jing Yiwei suddenly began to vibrate violently.

The next moment, the ring shattered.

All its contents spilled out onto the floor.

Gu Xiu’s gaze instantly sharpened.

It was the three Soul-Tracking Puppets!

These artifacts were mystical constructs, inherently inanimate. Yet now, having been stored away, they suddenly exhibited a surge of vitality, breaking free from their confinement.

Clearly, He Mengyun was summoning them.

Once they re-established a connection with her, everything in this room would be exposed to her scrutiny. Gu Xiu’s killing of the two Azure Mystic disciples—and his hiding spot in Cloud Firmament City—would be revealed.

Gu Xiu furrowed his brows. Though he hadn’t expected the summons so soon, he wasn’t without countermeasures.

He brought two fingers together, and the Heavenly Dao Rhyme manifested around him. He intended to use the power of talismans to seal the puppets instantly.

However…

Before Gu Xiu could act, a small, furry paw shot out.

The little black monkey reached over and slapped one of the Soul-Tracking Puppets directly on its head.

Thwack!

The six eyes of the puppet, which had begun glowing with an eerie summoning light, instantly lost all brilliance.

Then, the puppet knelt.

It prostrated itself before the little black monkey, trembling uncontrollably as if facing its sovereign.

What… is going on?

Gu Xiu was astonished.

The black monkey gave him an obedient, toothy smile, then turned and delivered two more swift slaps to the other puppets.

Thwack! Thwack!

They, too, collapsed to the ground, trembling in fear, not daring to rise.

Now, even Gu Xiu was shocked.

Soul-Tracking Puppets might not possess formidable combat power, but their defensive capabilities were incredibly robust; even a Nascent Soul expert couldn’t destroy them easily.

How could they become so docile after a simple slap?

More importantly… these were puppets. They possessed no intelligence, no soul. They only obeyed the commands of their controller. How could they feel fear?

Suddenly, Gu Xiu looked at the black monkey and recalled a terrifying ancient beast from the legends.

The Bone-Discarding Yin Ape.

Legend said this ape could break all techniques and command Yin spirits.

Whether it could break all techniques remained to be seen, but if this monkey truly was a Bone-Discarding Yin Ape, its ability to command Yin spirits would explain everything.

Soul-Tracking Puppets operated by manipulating soul power. The legendary Bone-Discarding Yin Ape was the natural nemesis of any puppeteer.

However…

Gu Xiu hesitated. In the legends of the Bone-Discarding Yin Ape, there was an ominous phrase:

Its appearance heralds great armies.

Meaning, once the Bone-Discarding Yin Ape appears, the world will fall into the chaos of war.

“Chitter chitter chitter!”

The little black monkey interrupted his thoughts, chittering excitedly.

Gu Xiu turned to look. The monkey was holding out a spirit fruit toward him, its expression full of anticipation.

Gu Xiu noticed it was the specific type of fruit the monkey had seemed to enjoy the most.

Was it… offering him its favorite treasure?

“Thank you,” Gu Xiu smiled, taking the fruit and taking a bite.

Seeing this, the little black monkey beamed with joy, hopping up and down in celebration.

Looking at its innocent excitement, the hesitation in Gu Xiu’s heart dissipated.

What did “heralding great armies” matter?

What concern was the chaos of the world to a rogue cultivator like him?

Just as Gu Xiu decided to keep the Bone-Discarding Yin Ape, a scene unfolded far away at the Azure Mystic Sacred Land.

Under Guan Xuelan’s watchful gaze, He Mengyun suddenly doubled over and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

She looked up, her expression twisted in horror.

“Master…”

“This disciple’s Soul-Tracking Puppets…”

“They… they’ve rebelled!”