Jiang Chen cleaned up the battlefield as quickly as possible.
He disposed of the Purple Crowned Golden Ring Snake's corpse and looted twenty thousand taels in silver notes, along with some Qi Gathering Pills, from the four men's bodies.
These Qi Gathering Pills were pills used for cultivating in the Martial Arts Realm, and they could increase the speed of one's cultivation.
Once he returned to Yandu City, he could use the twenty thousand taels in silver notes to buy more pills and improve his cultivation.
But for now... Jiang Chen had no plans to return to Yandu City. Since the Tiger Fang Squad had already cast a Heaven and Earth Net to trap him in the Bluestone Mountain Range forever, he certainly couldn't just sit back and wait for death!
'The Tiger Fang Squad has over twenty members, and that Jiang Hu is an expert at the Peak of the Sixth Stage of Martial Arts. From what I know, after my father crippled one of his arms, he began to frantically cultivate the Profound Nether Palm, training this Yellow Tier High-level Martial Skill to the Perfection Realm. My chances of killing him alone are only fifty percent. If I were to face the entire Tiger Fang Squad, my odds would be less than twenty percent...'
As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands!
After all, he was just one man, while the Tiger Fang Squad was made up of desperate fugitives who lived on the edge of life and death, men who licked blood from their blades.
It wasn't realistic to think he could take on the entire Tiger Fang Squad by himself!
Jiang Chen's eyes darted around before landing on the Fine Steel Sword in his hand. 'Jiang Hu has a Sword Compass that can sense the location of this Fine Steel Sword?'
His eyes suddenly lit up, and the corners of his mouth curved into a slight smile. 'Jiang Ming, oh, Jiang Ming. You wanted to use this Fine Steel Sword to expose my location and lead Jiang Hu here to kill me. In that case, I'll just turn your own plan against you and use this Fine Steel Sword you gave me to deliver a grand gift to Jiang Hu and his Tiger Fang Squad!'
A plan had already begun to form silently in his mind.
Jiang Chen returned to the hidden valley where he had been cultivating, carrying his spoils. He spent a full day and night using the Qi Gathering Pills to raise his cultivation to the Middle Stage of the Fifth Stage of Martial Arts.
He also stabilized his Thunderbolt Technique, which had reached the Perfection Realm.
Only then did he leave the valley once more. His destination: the Spiritual Monkey Valley!
Ever since Jiang Chen was discovered stealing a large number of Spirit Crystals for his cultivation, security in the Spiritual Monkey Valley had become extremely tight. The Treasure Vault at the highest point was guarded by a full ten Six-Eared Spiritual Apes.
Throughout the rest of the Spiritual Monkey Valley, large numbers of Six-Eared Spiritual Apes patrolled back and forth.
Now that Jiang Chen's cultivation had reached the Middle Stage of the Fifth Stage of Martial Arts, his Spiritual Sense had grown sharper. He could sense a terrifyingly violent aura from the deepest part of the Spiritual Monkey Valley. That had to be the formidable Ape King!
'The Ape King's strength is on par with a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Seventh Stage. I can't afford to alert it.'
Jiang Chen carefully concealed his presence.
The defenses of the Spiritual Monkey Valley were now impregnable, so Jiang Chen could only hide in a large tree outside the valley. He rested by day and moved by night. Besides cultivating and keeping a constant watch on the movements within the valley, Jiang Chen would also wander through the Bluestone Mountain Range every day, leaving behind clues and traces of his movements, all of which pointed toward the Spiritual Monkey Valley.
「Three whole days passed.」
He had completely absorbed the Qi Gathering Pills he'd looted from the bald man and his companions. His cultivation smoothly broke through to the Martial Arts Fifth Stage Peak, just a hair's breadth away from the Sixth Stage!
At the same time, Jiang Chen also discovered the whereabouts of the Tiger Fang Squad. They would soon follow the clues and tracks he'd left behind and find their way to the Spiritual Monkey Valley!
On the evening of the third day, Jiang Chen wasn't cultivating. He had put on the bald man's robes and was lying prone in the canopy of a tree.
After ten days of observation, he had grasped the movements and routines of the many Six-Eared Spiritual Apes in the Spiritual Monkey Valley. He had also chosen his target.
His gaze fell upon a lake inside the Spiritual Monkey Valley. A small monkey with a tuft of golden fur was baring its teeth, chasing away the other Spiritual Apes around it.
Through his ten days of observation, Jiang Chen had discovered that this little monkey held a revered status in the Spiritual Monkey Valley. Even the gray-furred Spiritual Apes at the Martial Arts Fifth Stage Peak gave way to it at every turn.
It was precisely the target of Jiang Chen's plan!
"Squeak squeak!"
The little monkey chased away all the other Six-Eared Spiritual Apes near the lake, then lay back on the water's surface, leisurely drifting with the current. It pulled out a Spirit Crystal with its furry paw, tossed it into its mouth, and bit down with a CRUNCH.
"Squeak?"
The little monkey's body suddenly trembled. Its nose twitched, and its pair of jade-green eyes shone with a brilliant light. A strange fragrance in the air made its mouth water. The little monkey leaped high, jumped out of the lake, and dashed off in the direction of the scent. A few Spiritual Apes behind it glanced its way but, intimidated by the little monkey, didn't dare to follow.
They allowed the little monkey to rush out of the Spiritual Monkey Valley, a few gray-furred Spiritual Apes merely watching quietly from a high perch.
The little monkey quickly reached the source of the aroma. There was a bonfire, and spitted over it was a fragrant, roasted pig, cooked to a perfect golden-brown. It was exceptionally tempting.
SQUEAK SQUEAK—
The little monkey jumped up and down, its eyes glowing. It looked around warily, but seeing no danger, it pounced toward the roasted pig.
However, the very instant it grabbed the roasted pig, a silver streak of sword light suddenly appeared. With a SWISH, it pierced the air and sliced the pig clutched in the monkey's paws in two.
"SQUEAK—" The little monkey let out a cry of alarm.
The sword was too fast. The silver light had already pierced its heart almost at the same moment it cried out.
'Success!'
Jiang Chen killed the small, golden-furred monkey with a single strike. A flicker of excitement appeared in his eyes as he glanced toward the Spiritual Monkey Valley.
The Six-Eared Spiritual Apes inside the valley were drawn by the little monkey's shriek. Several gray-furred ones let out earth-shaking roars, and the entire troop of Six-Eared Spiritual Apes flew into a collective rage, charging out of the valley. A black, crushing tide of them surged toward Jiang Chen, each one roaring, bellowing, and radiating killing intent.
They arrived in an instant. Seeing the little monkey's tragic death, their blood-red gazes swept toward Jiang Chen.
Baring their fangs, they charged.
Jiang Chen sneered, kicked the little monkey's corpse away, and raised his sword.
SWISH!
The sword strike was too fast, too beautiful, like a clap of thunder!
Every strike took the life of a Spiritual Ape. Now that his cultivation had broken through to the Fifth Stage Peak Realm of Martial Arts, there was no longer any opponent for him in the entire Spiritual Monkey Valley, save for the Ape King hidden behind the waterfall.
In the span of about three minutes, Jiang Chen slaughtered a full thirty Six-Eared Spiritual Apes.
Two of them were even gray-furred Spiritual Apes!
"ROAR!"
Just then, a tremendous roar echoed from within the Spiritual Monkey Valley. The cascading waterfall suddenly exploded, and a shimmering golden figure charged out from amidst the massive spray of white water.
It was a Six-Eared Spiritual Ape fully ten meters tall, its body as massive as a hill!
It was the master of the entire Spiritual Monkey Valley, the supreme king of the Six-Eared Spiritual Ape clan, and, more importantly, the father of that little monkey.
The Ape King's gaze swept the scene and fixed on the little monkey's body lying in a pool of blood. He beat his chest repeatedly, his eyes filled with chilling killing intent. "ROAR! My child... You damned human! This king will tear you to pieces!"
'Not good, the old monkey's furious. Time to go!' Several thousand meters away, Jiang Chen's expression changed abruptly.
The Ape King was on par with a Martial Artist of the Martial Arts Seventh Stage!
It was absolutely not something he could deal with at his current level. Slashing down an ape that blocked his path, Jiang Chen sprinted eastward at top speed.
"ROAR! Human, you can't escape!"
The Ape King's furious roar was like rolling thunder, deafeningly loud. It led a massive troop of Six-Eared Spiritual Apes as they weaved through the dense forest, relentlessly pursuing Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen's face fell, and he could feel the shockwave from the Ape King's roar behind him. 'Damn it, why haven't those bastards from the Tiger Fang Squad shown up yet? If this keeps up, that old monkey will kill me before I even run into them.'
Suddenly, Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. He spotted a plume of green smoke rising a kilometer away—the smoke from a bonfire. 'Finally found you!'
...
「Inside the Tiger Fang Squad's camp.」
Jiang Hu had an irritated expression, like a cold, venomous snake. "Still haven't found that brat?"
"Captain, judging by the clues and tracks we've found over the past few days, we should be getting close to the brat!"
"When we find that brat, I'll make him wish he were dead! He's made me wander around this godforsaken place for over a month..."
"It's all because that Sword Compass old man Jiang Ming gave us is so useless. It can only detect a general direction..." a few members of the Tiger Fang Squad grumbled.
"Enough with the crap! Hurry up and get the food ready. We have to find that little bastard within three days!"
Jiang Hu snorted coldly and took out the Sword Compass. Noticing that the light it was emitting was growing stronger, he let out a soft sound of surprise. 'What's going on? The Sword Compass is reacting so strongly. Could that brat be nearby?'
Just then, a roar suddenly erupted from the dense forest, followed by a rumbling sound like a stampeding army, growing closer and closer.
Jiang Hu and the others' expressions changed. 'Could it be a Demon Beast stampede?'
The entire Tiger Fang Squad became vigilant. They gripped their weapons and looked in the direction of the roar, and every single one of their faces changed in unison.
In the dense forest, they saw a young man dressed in the uniform of the Tiger Fang Squad sprinting towards their camp. Following close behind him were over a hundred Six-Eared Spiritual Apes, led by a ten-meter-tall, hill-sized golden Ape King, all of them relentlessly giving chase with murderous intent.
"Aren't those Old Third's clothes?" one of them asked in confusion.
As they watched in confusion, the young man wearing Old Third's uniform had already rushed up to the camp. He yelled at the dumbfounded members of the Tiger Fang Squad, "Brothers! I've successfully lured the old monkey out! Hurry up and kill it!"
"Huh?"
"The old monkey?"
"What the hell? Who are you...?"
The members of the Tiger Fang Squad still hadn't processed what was happening.
But the Ape King had already heard Jiang Chen's shout. When it saw the members of the Tiger Fang Squad, each one holding a weapon and radiating killing intent, the murderous glint in its eyes intensified. Its furious, earth-shattering roar shook the heavens, "Humans! All of you deserve to die!"