CHAPTER 437 THE REQUEST
When Darren heard that, he became vigilant. He understood that the "it" Aaron had mentioned might
be the master of the fiery-red hand.
A feeling of unease filled Darren when he saw that Aaron's black runes dispersed in the distance
without any fluctuation.
Rub-a-dub.
The next moment, the sound of heavy footsteps came from afar.
Gradually, a giant black figure came into Darren's view. The creature was so big and powerful that the
earth shook with each step it took.
Whistle!
Aaron bared his teeth as he pounced on the black figure and began to attack it.
"You, the son of a holy emperor, are too weak. It is a pity, indeed."
The area echoed with the deep voice of the black figure as he roared. The sound was so loud that it
almost deafened Darren.
Crack!
The black figure waved his hand and flung Aaron aside.
After witnessing the force released by the black figure, Darren realized what real might was. Even
Aaron was unable to match the creature's strength! What horrifying power he had!
This was shocking to Darren as Aaron was as powerful as the Shadow Emperor, who could rival a
seven-star grand warrior.
Taking all that into consideration, it seemed that the black figure was a holy warrior.
"Pasquale?" Darren furrowed his brows as he asked.
"Yes, it's me," Pasquale growled. His loud voice swept over Darren like a landslide. The force was so
compelling that Darren got down on one knee.
However, Aaron was reluctant to accept defeat. So, he generated more black runes with which to hit
the black figure as he flew toward his opponent.
"You little thing, be quiet,"
the black figure yelled before fixing Aaron on the ground with only one hand. Even though Aaron
struggled, he couldn't move.
"Sir, we were tricked into coming here. We didn't mean to disturb you. Please let us go," Darren said
respectfully, as he cupped his hands to salute Pasquale.
Faced with such an overmatch, Darren knew that he wouldn't be able to defend against him. Diplomacy
was Darren's only option, as it would be fairly easy for Pasquale to kill him.
"It is a miracle that you are still alive," the black figure remarked.
"Sir, as you know, it was Aaron that saved me. Had it not been for his timely assistance, I would have
died," Darren explained as he pointed at Aaron.
"No. Aside from the help of the son of a holy emperor, you survived because of your strong soul.
Incredibly, you didn't melt in the refining pool," the black figure corrected Darren.
With his head bowed, Darren nodded. He knew that Pasquale's justification made sense. If his soul
hadn't been powerful enough, he would have been refined. Then, even Aaron couldn't have saved him.
Through the ages, countless mighty demonic monsters had burned to ashes after falling into the
refining pool. It was undoubtedly a miracle that Darren could keep his soul intact for quite a while.
"So, you are very useful to me," the black figure said.
Darren frowned as he tried to ascertain the black figure's real purpose for making such a statement.
Simultaneously, he sighed with relief as it seemed that the black figure didn't intend to kill him.
Then Darren realized that this had been the black figure's plan all along. After all, the creature was so
powerful that he could have killed Aaron at any time. Since all he did was block Aaron with one arm, it
meant that the black figure didn't want them to die just yet.
"Sir, thank you for showing mercy," Darren said as he saluted Pasquale again, realizing that he wasn't
going to kill them.
"Don't thank me just yet. I didn't say that I would let you go," the black figure muttered.
"This... Sir, do you have something that you need me to do for you?" Darren asked.
"You are so clever," the black figure praised.
"Sir, you don't have to worry. Please, just say what you want," Darren said. At this moment, all he could
think about was survival. And so, he wouldn't miss an opportunity to earn the black figure's mercy.
"Follow me,"
the black figure ordered as he revealed his real appearance.
He was a giant ape. His white eyebrows made him appear very old. Surprisingly, only his upper body
was visible. Though the lower part of his body had shape, it was transparent.
"Okay." Darren nodded. Although the sight startled him, Darren didn't overthink. He followed the
strange creature obediently.
As for Aaron, he had lost consciousness. And so, the Giant Ape lifted him in his large hand and carried
him.
Darren followed the Giant Ape as he navigated through several ruins. After a while, they finally stood
before a dusty hall.
More than tens of thousands of steps stretched before Darren. He realized that they would have to
climb all those steps to reach the hall. Besides, the hall was more than ten thousand feet high. Given
the vastness of the hall, it was easy to imagine that at some point in the past, this place was
prosperous.
Guided by the Giant Ape, Darren entered the hall. Immediately, he felt as though an ancient air had
touched him. Several patterns had been carved in the walls that were more than ten thousand feet
high.
At a glance, Darren was attracted by those patterns as he felt as though they were familiar. However,
they seemed a little different from the ones he saw last time.
The patterns were quite like the ones in the forbidden area because they also described an epic war.
However, what was different was that the leading characters in these paintings were all overmatches of
demonic monsters.
At the end of the patterns stood a picture of an armored ape holding a magical stick. He seemed to
chop off the heads of a nine-headed snake with the wave of his hand. That was the end of the war.
"The snake has nine heads. What is it?" Darren mumbled out of curiosity.
"That is the Nine-headed Serpent. It came from outer space," the Giant Ape replied in a gruff voice.
"It also came from outer space?" Darren asked in astonishment with a frown. Up to now, he had seen
many extraterrestrials. Based on his understanding, each of them was powerful enough to destroy the
world.
The huge dragon corpse in the Fire Cave, the fiend suppressed in the forbidden area, the youth with
sword pupils in the Starry Tower, and the Nine-headed Serpent in the paintings—they were all
extremely powerful. Moreover, he remembered the golden hand that had helped him in the Raksa Sea.
Finally, it dawned on Darren that he himself was also an extraterrestrial.
"Except for me, all of them are unmatched," Darren muttered to himself.
"What did you say?" the Giant Ape asked in confusion.
"Nothing, nothing," Darren said quickly. This belongs to - ©.
Then, he followed the Giant Ape as he crossed the hall and reached the foot of a high mountain.
With his spiritual sense, Darren found that the high mountain was in the shape of an ape.
Whistle!
Following the Giant Ape, Darren flew toward the black cave in the middle of the mountain.
When they entered the cave, Darren noticed a stone coffin, stone tables, and stone chairs. When he
glanced around, Darren found that the rest of the cave was empty.
"Do you want to live or die?" the Giant Ape asked directly.
"Of course, I want to live," Darren answered, puzzled. He thought the question was unnecessary.
"Well. Since you want to live, help me save a person," the Giant Ape stated.
"Sir, who do you want to save? I want to help you, but I'm not sure if I am capable. Besides, because of
your unmatched power, it would be easier for you to save the person yourself,"
Darren said. He didn't understand why the powerful Giant Ape would ask him to save a person for him.
"Don't bullshit me. If I could do it myself, why would I let you live?" the Giant Ape roared. "As you can
see, I have only half of my body. Due to some reasons, I am trapped here. It is very likely that I won't
be able to leave for three thousand years."
"I understand. Sir, tell me who you want to save. If I can help, I will," Darren said after he understood
the reason why the Giant Ape needed his assistance.
"Good. Come here." The Giant Ape gestured to Darren to come closer to him.
After taking a deep breath, Darren walked toward the Giant Ape.
At this point, the Giant Ape took out a tower. It looked tiny in comparison to his big hand! Then, without
any explanation, he stabbed Darren's chest with it.
"Sir!" Darren was shocked. Feeling as though a strong force was restricting him, Darren tried to
withstand it.
Rattle!
After emitting a loud sound, the tower in the Giant Ape's hand gradually shrank into an iron nail. In the
next instant, it punctured Darren's heart.
"Ah!" Darren, ghastly pale, screamed as agony coursed through him. He sensed that the aura of death
was near at hand again.