Swoosh— Upon seeing this, the old ape's expression changed drastically.
He immediately scooped Chu Feng into his arms and retreated behind Chu Xuanxuan, adopting a combat-ready stance. He stared at the Evil God Sword with an expression of extreme tension, his eyes brimming with thick unease.
But compared to the old ape's visible anxiety, Chu Xuanxuan's expression remained unchanged. He said calmly, "Don't panic. Constrained by my sealing array, even if Feng'er uses the sword again in the future, it will be unable to seize his body."
"In its current state, it's weaker than before — so naturally, it's even less capable of threatening us."
Upon hearing Chu Xuanxuan's words, the old ape suddenly understood. The tension drained from his features, and he gently placed Chu Feng back in his original position.
After all, he was well aware that while the sealing method Chu Xuanxuan had employed earlier had appeared unremarkable, the power behind it was anything but ordinary.
It was a sealing technique passed down from ancient times, with power beyond imagination.
Back in the day, Chu Xuanxuan had used that very sealing array to seal away a extraordinarily ferocious ancient creature.
And although the Evil God Sword was formidable, it had already been sealed within the sword's body. For Chu Xuanxuan to then layer this additional sealing array on top to restrain the Evil God Sword's power was more than sufficient.
"You do care about Chu Feng after all, don't you? Using that sealing array costs you part of your lifespan," the old ape said to Chu Xuanxuan with a grin.
Precisely because he understood that sealing array, he knew that it was not only extremely difficult to control but that even upon successful use, the price was enormous — it was a seal driven by one's own life force.
Though Chu Xuanxuan had only sustained it for half an hour, that brief half hour had cost him approximately one thousand years of his lifespan.
"A matter concerning Feng'er's safety — I won't tolerate any room for error."
"As long as there are no mistakes, this seal will prevent the Evil God Sword from devouring Feng'er's body for a hundred years," Chu Xuanxuan said.
"And after the hundred years? Will you have to appear once more and seal it again?" the old ape asked.
"After a hundred years, Feng'er will naturally be able to handle it himself," Chu Xuanxuan replied.
"That confident?" the old ape asked with a smile.
"When it comes to Feng'er, I am," Chu Xuanxuan said.
The old ape chuckled again, this time with a knowing, approving look. It was clear that he, too, had great expectations for Chu Feng's future.
After that, the old ape turned his gaze toward the Evil God Sword and noticed that it was still trembling — though the tremors were no longer as violent as before.
That was right. The intensity of the Evil God Sword's vibrations was fading.
"If it can't break free, then why does it keep struggling like this? Isn't that just wasting its own power for nothing?" the old ape asked.
He knew full well that not only did the sword's own body serve as a seal for the Evil God Sword, but Chu Xuanxuan's sealing array had now taken effect as well.
Without a medium through which to release its power, anything the Evil God Sword did in this state was futile. In fact, it wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.
"It has something it wants to say to me," Chu Xuanxuan said.
"What is it?" the old ape asked.
"Trivial things." Having said that, Chu Xuanxuan turned to the old ape with a smile. "It seems you want to hear it?"
"Since it can't hurt us anyway, why not listen?" the old ape replied with a grin.
"Then let's hear it." Chu Xuanxuan raised his palm and, through the empty air, gave a gentle wave toward the Evil God Sword. A faint, delicate glow shimmered across the blade.
The next instant, the Evil God Sword let out a roar of pure fury: "You may cage this god for a time, but you will never cage this god for eternity!"
"You who know the true extent of this god's power — you should understand what consequences await you the moment this god breaks free!"
The Evil God Sword's voice was deafening, shaking heaven and earth. Standing upon the ground, one could clearly feel the earth trembling violently beneath one's feet.
Moreover, the voice radiated a terror so profound, a killing intent so horrifying, that anyone who heard it would feel dread surge up from the very depths of their heart.
() Setting aside how anyone else might have felt hearing that voice — even the old ape's gaze wavered in that moment.
His gaze changed because an inexplicable fear had taken root deep within his heart.
He was terrified, because even though he knew the Evil God Sword posed no actual threat to him, his heart still trembled with dread.
He didn't understand why he felt this way. The fear was impossible to conceal and impossible to suppress, leaving him utterly at a loss.