From the surrounding mountains, waves of demon clouds rose above each temple, as monster‑monk elders of every clan soared through the mist toward the Golden Summit, brimming with murderous intent.
Starr’s overwhelming presence had alerted almost every monk at Little Thunderclap Temple that a formidable enemy had arrived, so they rushed to defend their abbot.
Standing atop Little Thunderclap’s Golden Summit, Starr acted as if he owned the place, ignoring the monster‑monk elders gathering below. Smiling, he said, “Why throw your lives away? The only one dying here today will be Quinn the Divine Doctor. Quinn, let’s settle our score first.”
Ben Coates was overjoyed, planting both hands on the ground and striding forward, raising his head with a vicious sneer: “Quinn the Divine Doctor, Starr’s calling for you! Aren’t you coming up to die?”
Jingyan glanced at Victor Bloom and whispered, “Young Master…”
Victor Bloom frowned deeply, out of ideas in this situation. Little Tathagata couldn’t bear to let the monster‑monks die, so he wouldn’t help. And Victor’s own cultivation was far inferior to Starr’s—he was no use at all.
Quinn raised a hand to stop the Demon Ape, who was about to charge forward, then stepped up and probed, “Brother Starr, if I help you cure the hidden ailment in your flesh, will you spare my life?”
Ben Coates burst out laughing as if he’d heard the funniest thing in the world: “Little Quinn, you’re dreaming in broad daylight…”
“All right.”
Starr’s eyes lit up with delight. “If you can resolve my hidden danger, I don’t mind letting you go.”
Ben Coates stared in disbelief, then turned to Starr, stammering, "You’re joking, right, Brother Starr?"
Victor Bloom was equally stunned, unable to recover for a long moment.
Starr replied leisurely, "I don’t necessarily have to kill him. For me, it’s natural for prey to resist. Last time he teamed up with a bunch of experts and wounded me, forcing me to retreat—I actually admire that. But Quinn the Divine Doctor, if you want to live, you’ll have to return the body parts you took from me."
Quinn answered straightforwardly, "Fine! Though some of those parts have already been returned to their owners." With that, he produced the True Dragon Nest and took out the various arms and legs stored within.
"No matter. You give them back, and I’ll just go retrieve them again."
Starr stepped forward and inspected each part. When he reached the leg Quinn had poisoned, he hesitated, glancing up at Quinn, his eyes flickering. "This leg seems different from before. Quinn the Divine Doctor, I know medicine too—something’s been done to it."
Quinn came over to check and scratched his head. "I transplanted this leg onto someone else. See, there are surgical marks here."
Starr narrowed his eyes, studying Quinn’s expression, but found no flaws. Still, he was wary of Quinn’s medical skill.
"Grand Venerable, I still owe you a leg. Go ahead and graft this one on first."
He tossed the poisoned leg to Ben Coates. Ben’s face went ashen. He cried, "Quinn, you poisoned this leg, didn’t you? Give it to me straight! Brother Starr, can I refuse this leg? If I graft it, I’ll die for sure! Even if Quinn just touched it, I don’t want it!"