Chapter 69: The Spirit Ape and the Tiger’s Roar in the Deep Mountains

Zhang Kuang nodded. He had only controlled the talisman dog for a short while, but he could already feel the significant drain on his spiritual energy. If he tried to use it to track Qin Haoxuan himself, he’d likely run out of power long before he found them.

Yelu Qi took back control of the talisman. With a flick of his wrist and a soft incantation, the dog let out a low growl and shot off into the woods. It trailed far behind Qin Haoxuan and Pu Hanzhong, its keen canine senses locked onto their scent, ensuring they could not escape.

In the dense mountain forest, beneath the towering ancient trees, finding a specific type of beast was no easy task. Qin Haoxuan was about to start searching for animal droppings, hoping to identify the apes’ habitat by the signs they left behind.

“No need for such trouble, Haoxuan,” Pu Hanzhong said. “We have a simpler method.”

He took out a yellow talisman paper and folded it into the shape of a dog. Then, from a porcelain vial, he released a captured soul into the papercraft. His skill was not as refined as Yelu Qi’s; it took a full fifty seconds before the talisman dog began to tremble and finally let out two weak, listless barks.

“This is a Talisman Beast,” Pu Hanzhong explained. “First, you fold the paper into a model, then you use a talismanic art to bind the soul of a slain animal to it, and finally you use the Art of Taming to control it. It’s a branch of beast mastery.” He paused, then added, “The soul in this one came from a dog that was about to die of old age. It’s good enough for tracking the Mighty Apes by scent, but it has little combat strength. Some cultivators, in their pursuit of powerful Talisman Beasts, will hunt down and slay animals in their prime just to seal their souls. Such talismans are indeed strong, but because the soul was taken by force, it carries a heavy resentment. If the master’s taming skill isn’t strong enough, it can even turn on them.”

Qin Haoxuan was stunned. “Can I control it?” he asked.

Pu Hanzhong shook his head. “You haven’t grown a leaf yet. You need to be at the First-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm to control a Talisman Beast. Once you are, if you don’t mind that this one is old, I’ll give it to you. It’s nearly noon now. We should hurry and find the apes. Hundred Beasts Mountain isn’t safe after dark.”

A surge of warmth flooded Qin Haoxuan’s heart. The disciples of the Nature Hall might not have the highest cultivation, but their hearts… their hearts were true.

Pu Hanzhong took out a tuft of Mighty Ape fur and let the talisman dog get its scent. With a quick hand seal, the dog shot off into the forest.

Mighty Apes love to eat figs, which often grow near cliffs. As a result, the expert climbers made their homes in the trees beside these precipices. Hundred Beasts Mountain was vast, and even Pu Hanzhong hadn’t explored much of it, so they could only follow the talisman dog as it weaved nimbly through the undergrowth. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they arrived before a towering cliff.

Seeing it, Pu Hanzhong’s expression grew serious. “This is the most dangerous place on the outskirts of the mountain. It’s called Soul-Severing Cliff. They say it’s a thousand fathoms deep. Even a cultivator would surely die if they fell. You must be extremely careful here.”

Qin Haoxuan peered over the edge. He saw only swirling clouds and mist, a bottomless abyss. He dropped a stone and listened, but heard no sound of it landing.

Along the cliff’s edge grew many tall fig trees, their trunks so thick it would take two people to encircle them. Though it was deep winter, these trees bore fruit year-round, and their branches were heavy with reddish-purple figs. A faint, sweet fragrance hung in the air. But there were no apes to be seen.

“It’s afternoon now,” Pu Hanzhong explained. “The beasts have likely eaten their fill and scattered to play. They’ll be back soon. We need to hide. Whatever you do, don’t confront them directly, or they’ll scatter and be impossible to catch. We’ll need to use a trick.”

He recalled the talisman dog and took out a handful of dried fruit, scattering it evenly on the ground. “These are laced with a knockout powder. After the apes eat them, they’ll be temporarily dazed. We can then take them back and tame them properly.”

With their preparations complete, they found a rocky alcove and hid inside.

Before long, a rustling sound filled the air as a troop of Mighty Apes swung over from other trees, gripping thick vines. In the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, about a dozen of them had arrived. They didn’t notice the two humans; this part of the mountain was rarely visited. Those strong enough to hunt spirit beasts went straight to the deeper forests, and few would bother with a common beast like the Mighty Ape.

The apes immediately began to play and chase each other. The adults were as tall as a man, with fur as white as snow. Pu Hanzhong, having caught these apes before, waited patiently. He knew that once they tired of playing, they would look for food. The dried figs, coated in honey, were even more delicious than fresh ones. The apes would not be able to resist the temptation.

Among the dozen white apes was a single, peculiar monkey. Its fur was a dark golden color, and it stood only a little over three feet tall, the size of a juvenile. Qin Haoxuan noticed that the other apes treated it like an outcast. They refused to play with it and seemed annoyed by its very presence. Whenever the golden monkey tried to approach the group, a larger ape would shove it away. At one point, one of them even picked it up and tossed it onto another tree.

Seeing the monkey’s beautiful, eye-catching fur and well-proportioned body, Qin Haoxuan asked curiously, “Senior Brother Pu, what kind of monkey is that golden one?”

Pu Hanzhong looked closely, then thought for a moment. “It’s not listed in the Record of Strange Beasts,” he said. “That book only records the more famous creatures. So, it’s probably not any special breed, just a common monkey.”

After a while, the Mighty Apes tired of their games and began to pick fresh figs from the trees. Just then, a greedy one spotted the dried fruit on the ground. It let out a screech, swung down on a vine, and snatched one up, stuffing it into its mouth. After just two chews, the sweet, honey-coated delicacy sent it into a frenzy of excited cries.

Seeing its blissful expression, the other apes immediately scrambled down from the high branches, grabbing vines and sliding to the ground to fight over the treats. The last to descend was the small, dark golden monkey. While the other apes had to slide all the way down, it did something different. Standing on a branch a good twenty feet off the ground, it simply leaped. When it was about ten feet from the ground, it shot out an arm and grabbed a hanging vine, slowing its descent before letting go and dropping the rest of the way. It landed without a sound and started towards the feast.

To Qin Haoxuan, the golden monkey’s display was clearly far more agile than that of the larger apes. His interest in the little creature grew.

As it neared the group, the white apes, busy devouring the fruit, all turned and let out sharp, warning cries, their eyes filled with hostility. It was as if they would tear the little monkey to pieces if it dared to take another step. The golden monkey froze, not daring to go further. But the sweet smell of the honeyed fruit was too alluring, and it lingered nearby, unwilling to leave.

Soon, the knockout powder began to take effect. The Mighty Apes who had eaten the fruit started to sway on their feet as if drunk. Within moments, they all collapsed in a heap. The only one left standing was the golden monkey, who had eaten nothing. Seeing the others fall, it cautiously nudged one of them. When there was no response, its eyes filled with terror.

Just then, Pu Hanzhong and Qin Haoxuan emerged from their hiding spot. The sight of two humans appearing out of nowhere terrified the golden monkey even more. It leaped back, grabbed a hanging vine, and scrambled up into the high branches of a fig tree in a flash.

Qin Haoxuan, intrigued by the little monkey, wanted to get a better look. But suddenly, he felt two pairs of murderous eyes fixed on his back. He spun around to see Yelu Qi and Zhang Kuang, who had just arrived.

Seeing their hostile expressions, his heart sank. Yelu Qi was a Twentieth-Leaf expert. The two of them together wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

Pu Hanzhong’s face darkened. “You followed us,” he said in a low voice. “What do you want?”

“To kill you.”

The words came from Zhang Kuang, who stood beside Yelu Qi. Though he was young, his voice was laced with a chilling coldness that sent a shiver of fear even through Pu Hanzhong. Qin Haoxuan’s brows knitted together. The Zhang Kuang before him had changed dramatically. How long had it been? Cultivation, he realized, could transform a person’s entire demeanor in a frighteningly short amount of time. The arrogant, petty upstart was gone.

Yelu Qi stood with his chest puffed out. Earning the favor of an Unsurpassed Purple Seed was worth killing a weakling with no background or power. Besides, he was convinced Qin Haoxuan had a special treasure for finding spirit land. If he could take it, his own future would be bright.

Pu Hanzhong’s face grew even grimmer. In that instant, a dozen escape plans flashed through his mind, but against a Twentieth-Leaf expert, they were all useless.

“Don’t you know that infighting within the sect is a grave crime?” he said, his voice heavy.

Yelu Qi sneered. “And who’s going to know, after we’ve killed you both?”

He felt a certain disdain for Pu Hanzhong. To personally fight someone from the Nature Hall was beneath him. He took out the tiger talisman he had prepared earlier and formed a hand seal. Ten seconds later, the talisman began to tremble. It crouched, raised its head, and let out a heaven-shaking roar.

The sound was so powerful and domineering that it nearly deafened Qin Haoxuan. In the tree above, the dark golden monkey was scared out of its wits. Its feet slipped, and it tumbled from the branch. Only by hooking a vine with its tail at the last second did it save itself from being splattered into a paste on the ground below.

(End of Chapter)