Peerless Demon Immortal

The ape spirit arced through the air, blood spraying as he crashed down, the powerful impact robbing him of consciousness.

“Crack!”

With the sound of snapping wood, the ape spirit landed perfectly in a small hole, just the right size for him to fall into.

The caterpillar hadn’t expected his prey to suddenly vanish from sight, and quickly wriggled to the hole’s edge, peering down. The ape spirit lay just half a meter away, yet that small distance rendered him untouchable.

The caterpillar’s body was simply too large; even with all his might, he could only reach twenty centimeters into the hole. Seeing the ape spirit so close yet unattainable, he let out frustrated cries, drool dripping from his mouth and soaking the ape spirit’s body.

Fortunately, the caterpillar wasn’t skilled at digging holes, or the ape spirit’s life would have been in grave danger.

Unwilling to abandon his hard-won prey, the caterpillar decided to stay put, guarding the hole.

The next day, the ape spirit awoke, first feeling the piercing pain that engulfed his body, unable to move even a finger.

Estimating his injuries, he realized he had at least ten fractures, and even the slightest movement made him grimace in pain, emitting squeaks.

Hearing the noise, the caterpillar thrust his head into the hole, his face mere centimeters from the ape spirit, startling him. The close encounter made the ape spirit scream, ignoring the pain as he pressed himself against the ground, eyes shut tight.

After a while, with no further movement, the ape spirit cautiously opened his eyes, only to meet the caterpillar’s blood-red gaze once more, prompting him to shut them quickly again.

However, he soon sensed something amiss, opening his eyes despite the fear, and realizing the caterpillar couldn’t reach him, finally relaxing.

The caterpillar lingered at the hole’s entrance for a while, then slowly withdrew, casting a final, murderous glance at the ape spirit, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

With the caterpillar out of sight, the ape spirit relaxed, though the subsequent pain from his injuries made him cry out once more.

Time passed, and sunlight streamed into the hole, the warmth soothing the ape spirit, who instinctively opened his mouth to absorb the sun essence.

Warm energy flowed into his body, and as more sunlight was absorbed, his wounds seemed less painful.

Not only the ape spirit, but the caterpillar also began absorbing sun essence, though at a noticeably slower pace. The caterpillar’s absorption was irregular, greatly reducing his efficiency, while the ape spirit’s breath was steady and deep, each intake three to four times the caterpillar’s. Considering the size difference, the ape spirit’s intake equaled ten times the caterpillar’s, a fact the caterpillar soon noticed, watching the ape spirit from the hole’s edge.

Unaware of this, the ape spirit was completely absorbed in the sun essence’s warmth, oblivious to the pain.

Yet, the sunlight’s reach into the hole was limited, soon fading, bringing the ape spirit out of his cultivation. To his surprise, he found his injuries had improved significantly, the fractures less painful.

Opening his eyes, his heart skipped a beat at the sight of blood-red eyes mere centimeters above him, though this time he sensed no hostility.

Curious about the caterpillar’s change, the ape spirit realized it didn’t matter, as the caterpillar couldn’t harm him now.

A loud rumble from his stomach reminded him he hadn’t eaten in over a day, his injured body needing nourishment. But trapped in the hole, surrounded by nothing but dirt, there was no food, and the only caterpillar was too large to eat; not being eaten was fortunate enough.

Hearing the rumble, the caterpillar withdrew his head, followed by thumping sounds. As the ape spirit wondered what was happening outside, numerous fruits rolled into the hole.

Astonished, the ape spirit wasted no time grabbing a fruit with his movable right hand, devouring it ravenously, soon consuming nearly thirty fruits.

After eating, the ape spirit pondered how the fruits had entered the hole.

The caterpillar reappeared, and after several encounters, the ape spirit was no longer startled, simply staring at the caterpillar’s large head, wondering what the creature intended.

Seeing the ape spirit had eaten, the caterpillar withdrew, leaving the ape spirit puzzled.

At night, the moon hung high, its gentle light bathing the earth, including the ape spirit’s hole.

With moonlight, the ape spirit set aside his concerns, eagerly absorbing moon essence, the cool energy relaxing his fur.

As the sun and moon essence balanced, the ape spirit circulated the energy within, easing pain and itching at his wounds, his fractured or dislocated bones slowly returning to place.

Yet, his injuries were severe, and a day’s essence absorption couldn’t fully heal him; only a tenth of his wounds had improved, requiring many more days to regain mobility.

Thus, the ape spirit lay in the hole, cultivating, with the caterpillar providing fruits. Though puzzled by the caterpillar’s change in attitude, he focused on healing and cultivation, ignoring the rest.

The creator of the Defying Destiny Technique was indeed a genius, greatly shortening the demon tribe’s cultivation time, using human-like methods to circulate sun and moon essence, familiarizing the body with the energy, allowing more essence to enter, significantly reducing the time to form a demon core.

Moreover, circulating essence helped heal wounds, so despite the ape spirit’s severe injuries, the essence aided his recovery, his bones mending and internal injuries healing over days.

During this time, the caterpillar not only brought food but stayed outside the hole, no longer hostile, seemingly caring for the ape spirit, acting as a guard against other demon beasts, their relationship inexplicably shifting.