Whoosh— Upon seeing this, the old ape's expression changed dramatically.
He immediately scooped Chu Feng up in his arms, retreated behind Chu Xuanyuan, and assumed a combat-ready stance, staring at the Evil God Sword with extreme tension. His eyes were filled with deep unease.
But compared to the old ape's trembling vigilance, Chu Xuanyuan's expression remained unchanged. He said calmly, "Don't panic. Bound by my formation, even if Feng'er uses it again in the future, it won't be able to seize his body."
"In its current state, it's weaker than before — much less capable of threatening us."
After hearing Chu Xuanyuan's words, the old ape suddenly understood. His tense posture relaxed, and he placed Chu Feng back where he had been.
After all, he knew full well that the sealing method Chu Xuanyuan had used earlier, while appearing ordinary, carried extraordinary power.
It was a sealing technique passed down from ancient times, with power beyond imagination.
In his prime, Chu Xuanyuan had once used that very seal formation to suppress a most ferocious ancient creature.
And though the Evil God Sword was formidable, it had already been bound within the sword's body. On top of that foundation, Chu Xuanyuan's use of this seal formation to restrict the Evil God Sword's power was more than sufficient.
"You actually do care about Chu Feng, don't you? Using that seal formation costs you your lifespan," the old ape said to Chu Xuanyuan with a grin.
Because he understood the seal formation, he knew it was not only difficult to command — even upon successful use, the price was enormous. It was a formation fueled by one's own life force.
Though Chu Xuanyuan had only activated it for half a shichen, that brief period likely cost him a thousand years of his lifespan.
"Where Feng'er's safety is concerned, I cannot afford any mistakes."
"And as long as there are no mistakes, this seal formation will keep the Evil God Sword from devouring Feng'er's body for the next hundred years," Chu Xuanyuan said.
"And after a hundred years? You'll have to appear again and seal it once more?" the old ape asked.
"After a hundred years, Feng'er will be able to handle it on his own," Chu Xuanyuan said.
"That confident?" the old ape asked with a smile.
"Where Feng'er is concerned — yes," Chu Xuanyuan said.
The old ape chuckled again, this time with a noncommittal smile. It was clear that he, too, held high expectations for Chu Feng's future.
Then the old ape turned his gaze back to the Evil God Sword and found it was still trembling — though the intensity was no longer what it had been before.
Indeed, the tremors were growing weaker.
"If it can't escape, then why keep struggling like this? Isn't it just wasting its own strength?" the old ape asked.
He understood clearly that not only was the sword's body itself still serving as a seal, but Chu Xuanyuan's formation had already taken effect.
Without a medium through which to release its power, the Evil God Sword's struggle was entirely futile — and moreover, it wouldn't be able to sustain it for long.
"It has something it wants to say to me," Chu Xuanyuan said.
"What?" the old ape asked.
"Something trivial." Chu Xuanyuan glanced at the old ape and smiled. "It seems like you want to hear it?"
"It can't do anything to us anyway. What harm is there in listening?" the old ape said.
"Then let's hear it." Chu Xuanyuan's palm swept gently through the empty air toward the Evil God Sword, and a faint radiance shimmered from the blade.
The next instant, the Evil God Sword unleashed a furious roar: "You can cage this Evil God for a time — but not for all eternity."
"If you truly know how powerful my strength is, then you should understand what consequences await you when I break free."
The Evil God Sword's voice was deafening, reverberating across heaven and earth. Standing upon the ground, one could clearly feel the earth shaking violently beneath their feet.
Furthermore, the voice radiated an unspeakable killing intent — the kind that, upon hearing it, would make any living being feel fear deep within their soul.
() Setting aside how anyone else might react to that voice, even the old ape's gaze had shifted.
His gaze changed because, without understanding why, a sense of fear had spontaneously taken root in his heart.
He was rattled. He knew full well that the Evil God Sword posed no real threat to him, yet his heart was still pounding with dread.
He didn't understand why this was happening. The fear was impossible to conceal, impossible to suppress — and it left him at a complete loss.