Someone who claimed to be an emissary from the White Ape King brought news from the ape.

The man looked to be a farmer in his sixties.

“From now on, Shennongjia shall belong to the White Ape King. Any mishaps that happen to any outsider who dares to trespass shall not be the responsibility of the White Ape King,” the man said confidently. “If the human government does not agree to this, you are free to continue the war. I wonder what death count would be deemed acceptable to you humans. I wonder if it will be me who falls first, or if your lands will be reduced to scorched earth before that.”

The man delivered these words from the White Ape King on live broadcast without flinching.

You’re a traitor to our race, no, a traitor to humanity!

You’re a human yourself! How could you speak for an ape!?

Who does the White Ape King think it is, huh? Does that animal really think it can throw its weight around just because it has that bit of cultivation?

So that animal’s just carving out its turf like that? Who does that monkey think it is? Does that thing really think it’s Sun Wukong?

Many online were very agitated, and many wanted very badly to teach the farmer a lesson right there and then.

However, some people did note that the farmer’s eyes looked dead, as if he was not a normal human at all.

An official statement soon came out from the authorities, explaining that farmer was but a common folk farmer who lived near Shennongjia, and he had been enthralled by someone and made to deliver the message from the White Ape King.

Things like that had been commonplace back in ancient times. Many long-dead people had seen beautiful women who were manifestations of the fox gods, but in actual fact, they were all merely illusions seen by people in altered mental states.

That was exactly what had happened to the old farmer.

Some formidable monsters had such formidable mental powers that they were capable of affecting the minds of common people, so much so that they could even control their every move.

It was a given that they were unable to affect more powerful cultivators. Even warriors who looked to be incapable of doing anything against those attempts of enthrallment were actually so strong of body and mind that they were immune to most mental attacks.

Many were shocked and angry. Not only had the White Ape King managed to survive being bombarded by the army, but it was also even able to state its intention to make itself king of a certain territory, as well as its will to stand against humans.

We absolutely can’t agree to that!

If we agree to what the monkey proposes, all the other monsters would just make similar demands. What would we do about that?

It’s worth noting that that white ape isn’t the only one who managed to reach formidable cultivation levels. There are many other monsters as well, and we’ll only see more and more of them in the future!

The comments on the net showed that people were getting very riled up, but the great majority of netizens made it clear that they absolutely could not afford to yield. There was a minority who argued for peace, claiming that all species in the world were surely capable of coexisting peacefully.

However, there were far more people who were level-headed enough to see that it was all a war for living space.

There was only so much space to be had in the world. If every monster of formidable cultivation levels were to claim such a huge tract of land and make themselves king, there would be little space left for humans to live in.

Humans had defeated countless species in history, and beyond that, humans had even eliminated many other demi-humans before finally being able to lay claim to the continents.

The rise of humanity was a process of constant conquest filled with blood and fire, and the idea of coexisting peacefully with these monsters seemed little more than a joke in the eyes of many.

The government contacted the old farmer before long, knowing that he had been put under the ape’s spell. There was definitely someone who spoke on behalf of the White Ape King behind that, maybe even the White Ape King itself.

“You won’t die a good death for all the evil you’re doing now,” the government agent said, gritting his teeth.

The eyes of the old farmer remained dead, yet an eerie grin took shape on his face. He said, “That so-called ‘evil’ is judged based on the standards of you humans. Among us monsters, the one with the bigger stick is the one who calls the shots. You’re all here to kill me, and you think I’ll roll over just like that?”

What the farmer said rendered the government agents who’d come to talk utterly speechless.

It was indeed exactly as the White Ape King said. The human armies had come to kill it, and it would be ridiculous to expect it to just yield without conditions.

That answer was well thought out, very logical, and very sensible, and it sent chills down the spines of many.

That was because that answer made it clear that the White Ape King was just as humans speculated—it possessed intellectual capacity comparable to that of humans, and it might even actually be more intelligent than common humans.

“One way or another, the fact that you’ve killed over ten thousand people remains. You think you can have it your way by trying to make yourself a king?” The government agent continued.

“Why not? Times are different now. You humans were the ones to develop intelligence before everyone else, and you’ve defeated all the other species with that intelligence as your weapon, eventually becoming the dominant species of the planet,” the farmer said. He then continued, “But with spirit qi restored to the world now, and you humans not being the only ones benefitting from it, it’s natural that you will no longer be the only intelligent species.”

“You’re all shocked to see that I possess intelligence, as you’re totally oblivious to the fact that all the other monster kings have a similar intellectual capacity to myself.” The farmer then smirked gleefully. “I’ve seen days where I wandered like the walking dead, looking only for my next meal. If it hadn’t been for me eating some special fruit by accident, I wouldn’t have been able to become intelligent and cultivate.”

The old farmer let out that frightening secret quite casually. The very reason that the White Ape King had been able to begin cultivating and become more than just a beast was that it had once eaten some mystical fruit.

What he said caused a huge commotion on the internet. Many even began to have thoughts of looking for such fruits in the mountains, imagining it possible that they would chance upon such fruit in some mystical encounter, thus beginning their journey of cultivation.

“We monsters were once just common beasts, but as we progress with our cultivation, our intelligence grows. At my current level, my intelligence is in every way comparable to your own.” The farmer then said plainly, “You know why I bother talking to all of you like this? Because I want to let you people know that you’re not just dealing with some animal who knows nothing other than to stay alive until they end up dead. You’re dealing with a wholly new form of intelligent being, one that is every bit your equal. No, better yet, in this new era, the likes of us will be gods.”

A proud smirk flashed across that farmer’s face.

“As the changes to the world deepen, we will only get stronger, and we’ll all reach new heights one day. I know you people have nuclear weapons, which are so very devastating, but I’d implore you to not use them without very, very good reason. You’ve seen all those mysteries in Shennongjia, and you people won’t be able to raze the entire place even if you were to break out the nukes.”

“You humans maintain whatever bit of pathetic pride you have left with those nuclear weapons, but this is a new age, and the rules are different. Only the strong get to call the shots, and in this new era, I am one of the strong!”