I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

Before the Great Ape King could finish speaking, his figure had already vanished.

The Earth God lay sprawled on the ground, his face contorted in a mournful expression, lamenting to himself, "How could I, who have always kept such a low profile, have been targeted by such a malevolent spirit?"

"The sudden appearance of this great demon is no accident!"

The Earth God dared not delay. With a quick glance, he vanished underground and sped off to the Gale Hall to report. However, his speed was more than a thousand times slower than that of the Great Ape King.

In the blink of an eye, the Great Ape King had arrived outside Star Sand City. Looking at the bustling and grand city, he couldn't help but be startled.

As soon as he entered the city, he sensed several invisible auras landing on him, and they were carefully examining him.

"Is this the aura of the gods?"

The Great Ape King pondered to himself, but continued walking straight into the city without stopping.

Xingsha City is no ordinary city. After Zhong Jiu became the City God, he controlled the entire city with divine authority. Ordinary ghosts cannot even get close to the city gates. Although demons can enter the city, they are absolutely not allowed to do evil. Once they step into the city, they will be instantly locked on by the gods in the city.

The probing auras, sensing the Great Ape King's strength, immediately erupted in chaos. The gods were terrified and dared not delay for even a moment, immediately sending a message to Zhong Jiu.

Inside the City God's Mansion, Zhong Jiu raised an eyebrow slightly, his tone calm: "A powerful monkey has entered the city?"

After speaking, he released all his divine sense and instantly locked onto the golden, furry figure.

In his divine sense, the Great Ape King was heading towards the City God's Mansion. Strangely, instead of charging in with his staff as everyone expected, he imitated human manners, bowing to the gatekeepers and shouting, "I want to see the City God of Xingsha!"

The gatekeeper dared not delay and immediately rushed into the hall to report: "My lord, there is a monkey outside the gate, requesting an audience!"

"Let him in."

Zhong Jiu spoke calmly, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. This monkey's cultivation was not weak; he had actually reached the True Immortal Realm and was one of the top experts of the time. Why would such a person take the initiative to come to his door?

The soul attendant couldn't help but speak up: "Master, that monkey is extremely powerful. Should we increase our precautions just in case?"

Zhong Jiu chuckled, his tone brimming with absolute confidence: "It's alright, let him in. Though he may be strong, if he dares to cause trouble in my City God's Mansion, he's come to the wrong place."

Unbeknownst to others, Zhong Jiu's cultivation in the Dao had already reached the True Immortal Realm, putting him on par with the Great Ape King. Furthermore, his cultivation in the Divine Realm had broken through to the Heavenly God Realm. In addition, the City God's Mansion was his home ground, and once he made a move, his strength could increase several times over. A mere monkey could not cause any trouble.

A moment later, the Great Ape King was led into the City God Hall by the Soul Messenger.

The monkey was tall and straight, with golden fur. Although it was trying to greet humans by bowing, its monkey eyes kept darting around, showing its monkey nature and unable to stay still for even a moment.

"I am the Great Ape King of Monkey King Island in the East Sea, and I have come today to pay my respects to the City God!"

The Great Ape King spoke bluntly, without the slightest hint of pretense.

Zhong Jiu raised his hand, and immediately a soul messenger brought over a chair and a plate of spiritual fruit.

The plate was filled with spiritual fruits from Zhong Jiu's treasured spiritual roots, especially the few immortal apricots, which were the most precious treasures in the world, overflowing with spiritual energy.

The monkeys were known for their love of fruit, and when the Great Ape King saw the plate full of spiritual fruits, his eyes lit up instantly. He grinned, grabbed a celestial apricot, and began to devour it, exclaiming indistinctly as he ate, "Delicious! So delicious!"

However, their eating manners were crude, like a cow chewing on a peony. They would finish a fairy apricot in a few bites, casually throw it aside, and then grab a few more, eating with great relish.

The soul guards watching from the side felt a pang of heartache and secretly grumbled: Where did this wild monkey come from? So ignorant of the rules, wasting such precious resources!

But the more Zhong Jiu looked at it, the more pleasing it became. This Great Ape King was extraordinary, powerful, unpretentious, and straightforward, which stirred up some feelings in him.

Memories of a past life flashed through my mind; this monkey's appearance bore a striking resemblance to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong.

A moment later, the Great Ape King finished the spiritual fruit, patted his round belly, and laughed with satisfaction, "I was wondering if the City God was a good person, but now that I've eaten your spiritual fruit, I'm sure you're definitely not a bad person! What that bald man said a few days ago was all a lie to me; I almost fell for his tricks!"

Zhong Jiu chuckled to himself. This monkey was too easy to coax; a few spiritual fruits were enough to completely put him at ease.

In fact, the Great Ape King had been wandering around the human world for the past few days, witnessing all walks of life and gaining much more knowledge. He was already quite intelligent and had already made his own judgment. However, he was in a great mood at the moment, so he told the truth.

If he harbored hostility towards the underworld, he would have already attacked the city with a stick when he entered, so why would he be so polite and courteous?

Although Zhong Jiu didn't know his past experiences, he could still sense the underlying meaning in his words, and his tone turned serious: "You mean, a bald monk lied to you?"

Mentioning the bald man, the Great Ape King's eyes instantly blazed with rage, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "That strange bald man dared to deceive me! If I see him again, I'll smash his skull open with this stick!"

Then, he poured out his story, recounting in detail how the bald monk had instigated him to cause trouble in the underworld.

Monkeys are like that; once they recognize someone as reliable, they will completely open their hearts and reveal everything without reservation.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Jiu's face instantly turned cold. He was filled with shock and anger, not fear, but rather a sense of absurdity!

How dare Buddhist monks incite such a top expert to cause trouble for the underworld? Are they tired of living?

He had been diligently performing his duties in Xingsha City and had never provoked the Buddhist sect, yet this group of people had taken the initiative to provoke him, showing utter ignorance and audacity!

The soul messenger beside him quickly said, "Master, the Buddhist sect definitely has ill intentions. They dared to instigate the Great Ape King to come; they must have a backup plan!"

"That's certainly true."

Zhong Jiu nodded, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes.

It seems that the last battle at Niu Tou Long Yuan Mountain did not completely subdue them. A bunch of petty villains dared to come knocking again. Did they think the Underworld was a pushover?

Zhong Jiu felt no fear; why would a dragon be afraid of the schemes of an ant?

Faced with absolute power, all schemes and tricks are nothing but paper tigers, utterly vulnerable!

Seeing Zhong Jiu's solemn expression, the Great Ape King assumed he had gotten himself into trouble. He quickly scratched his head, looking guilty, and said, "It's all my fault. I was confused for a moment and fell for that bald man's trick."

As he spoke, he patted his chest, his tone bold and his fighting spirit soaring: "But rest assured, City God, with me here, if that bald man dares to cause trouble, I will definitely beat him to death with one blow, and I will never let him bother you!"

The Great Ape King was naturally warlike and could never stay still. He had not found a worthy opponent all these years. Now that he heard there was a fight to be had, he could not contain his excitement and his fighting spirit grew even stronger.

Seeing this, Zhong Jiu's killing intent intensified, his tone icy yet filled with absolute confidence: "Ape King, there's no need to worry. A bunch of petty scoundrels can't cause any trouble. If they dare to come, I'll deal with them all at once, eliminating any future problems!"

This time, he had no intention of holding back. No matter what the Buddhist sect was backed by, as long as they dared to provoke him, he would wipe them out completely, letting everyone know that the majesty of the underworld was not to be violated!

Upon hearing this, the Great Ape King looked puzzled, scratched his head, and hesitated to speak. He simply couldn't believe that the City God, who appeared dignified but lacked any arrogance, could be that strong.

Zhong Jiu saw through his thoughts and waved his hand with a smile: "If the Ape King has something to say, he may as well speak frankly."

The Great Ape King didn't mince words and said frankly, "City God, I know you're a good person, but to be honest, I don't think you're a powerful warrior."

He looked around and said, "Where are the strongmen from the City God's Palace? Could it be that general leading troops in the field? I can't find any opponents. If possible, I'd like to spar with him!"

As he spoke, he rubbed his hairy palms together, his eyes full of anticipation, clearly itching to show off his skills.

Upon hearing this, the guards on either side of the hall burst into laughter, their tone laced with mockery: "Hahaha, what an ignorant monkey, daring to spout nonsense here!"

"You're sorely mistaken! My master is the strongest in the City God's Palace!"

"As for your claim that there's no aura of a powerful figure, that's because the Master has concealed his own power, disdaining to be as ostentatious as you demons, as if afraid others won't know how strong you are!"

Zhong Jiu couldn't help but laugh; this monkey was indeed genuinely adorable.

The Great Ape King leaped off his seat, his eyes wide, and circled Zhong Jiu, his face filled with disbelief: "What? Is that so? City God, are you really the strongest being in the Underworld?"

Zhong Jiu smiled faintly, his tone composed: "Since you don't believe me, then I can provide some proof. However, given my position, it's inconvenient for me to engage in a debate with you. Let's find a middle ground instead."

He paused, his gaze falling on the Great Ape King, and slowly spoke: "Do you remember what you thought before you came to Star Sand City?"

The monkey's eyes gleamed with reminiscence. He nodded emphatically, his voice booming, "Back then, I declared that I would raze Xingsha City to the ground, overturn the City God's table, and tear up that damn Book of Life and Death!"

After saying that, his ears felt slightly hot. Now that his friendship with Zhong Jiu had deepened, he felt a little embarrassed to bring it up again.

Zhong Jiu spoke calmly, glancing at him: "King Ape, there's no need to feel ashamed. Since you have this intention, then give it a try."

"Want to give it a try?"

The monkey's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I am sitting right here. If you can really overturn my table and tear up the Book of Life and Death, then you win."

Zhong Jiu's words were startling, but the soul servant beside him remained calm, clearly enjoying the show.