Ambush Successful

"Yah!"

A piercing cry rang out beyond the hot spring lake. When the Iron-Arm Apes inside the lake heard it, they all darted out of the water like bolts of lightning.

Nearly fifty Iron-Arm Apes gathered along the lakeshore. Not one dared make a sound as they stared at the Iron-Arm Ape walking upright toward them in the distance—an Iron-Arm Ape that was far larger than the rest!

Ordinary Iron-Arm Apes were slightly shorter than average humans. But this newcomer stood nearly nine feet tall, around 2.2 meters, and its entire body was fiery red, save for a small patch of silver fur on its chest.

"Yah yah~"

The tall Iron-Arm Ape looked at the five ripe Cinnabar Fruits in the lake and let out several strange chuckles. Unable to wait any longer, it ran to the water's edge, leaped into the air, and crossed more than a dozen zhang before landing steadily on a reef in the middle of the lake.

Then the Iron-Arm Ape made two small hops and reached the Cinnabar Fruit plant at the center of the lake. It leaned over and sniffed the rich fragrance. An intoxicated look appeared on the ape leader's face. After savoring the scent for a while, it carefully plucked one crimson Cinnabar Fruit with its claw.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

After several leaps, all five ripe Cinnabar Fruits had been picked. The tall Iron-Arm Ape was even considerate enough to worry that it might damage the fruits. It casually picked up a stone, then used its claws, which were as sharp as divine weapons, as tools. It swiftly cut and carved the stone, soon making a stone cup.

"Yah!"

After placing the five Cinnabar Fruits inside, the tall Iron-Arm Ape let out a cry. Nearly thirty Iron-Arm Apes immediately followed it away, hopping along, leaving only a dozen or so behind to guard the place.

The tall Iron-Arm Ape leader led the thirty Iron-Arm Apes for nearly a li before arriving at a hollow in the forest. Something seemed odd, however. The originally narrow path was covered with large patches of overturned grass, as if someone had just carried out a major project there.

"Yah yah yah!"

When the Iron-Arm Ape leader saw two younger Iron-Arm Apes hesitating behind it, it turned around and cried several times to show that everything was fine. It had seen many scenes where the ground had been dug up.

The primordial wilderness was home to countless species, and even more Demon Beasts that dug holes. Among ordinary animals alone, hedgehogs and pangolins were expert diggers. It was perfectly normal for the ground to have been disturbed, so it was no wonder the Iron-Arm Ape leader paid little attention.

"Boom~~ Boom~~"

Suddenly, a figure shot out from the treetop above the Iron-Arm Apes. While in midair, it scattered more than a dozen fist-sized spheres. The spheres exploded one after another upon landing, and a cloud of green mist instantly engulfed the entire group of Iron-Arm Apes.

"Yah yah!"

"Yah!"

"Yah yah yah!"

The Iron-Arm Apes cried out in agitation. Yet because they had to protect the Cinnabar Fruits in their leader's hands, they could not immediately withdraw from the green mist.

"Yah~~~"

The Iron-Arm Ape leader was an old ape that had endured countless trials. Not long after the green mist spread, it reacted and cried out, preparing to direct the others into action. What it failed to notice was that, in a patch of greenery less than a foot in front of it, a pair of golden vertical pupils gleamed coldly.

"Whoosh~"

The Verdant Python, which had already received Gu Sheng's arrangements, shot out the instant the Iron-Arm Ape leader cried. It opened its gaping maw and bit half of the ape leader's body inside, then violently whipped its head around and fled madly toward the designated location with its prize.

"Yah~~"

"Yah yah yah~"

Not long after the Verdant Python left, the Iron-Arm Apes realized that something was wrong. One after another, they ran in all directions, escaping the green mist. But when they regrouped, their leader and the Cinnabar Fruits had vanished.

In a patch of woodland two li from the hot spring lake, Gu Sheng and Chu Xin waited quietly. In front of them was a huge, pitch-black tunnel whose destination was unknown.

"They're here!"

Gu Sheng's pricked-up ears caught a change in the wind coming from inside the tunnel. He hurriedly pulled Chu Xin aside and hid.

"Roar~"

The moment they hid, a huge serpent as thick as a barrel shot out, biting an animal resembling a giant ape.

"Ptooey~"

The Verdant Python, Azure Spirit, spat from its great mouth, sending the heavily injured Iron-Arm Ape leader tumbling to the ground.

This innate Demon Beast no longer looked as impressive as before. From its abdomen upward, its body was a bloody mess, with stark white bones exposed in places. Even though it was so badly wounded, it still clutched the stone cup containing the Cinnabar Fruits protectively to its chest.

"Yah~"

The Iron-Arm Ape leader struggled to its feet and shrieked at the two humans and one beast before it, hoping to frighten its enemies away.

"Roar~"

The Verdant Python, Azure Spirit, flicked its tongue at the Iron-Arm Ape. Without waiting for Gu Sheng's command, it lunged forward.

The battle between the Iron-Arm Ape leader and the Verdant Python ended quickly. The Iron-Arm Ape had been ambushed by Azure Spirit and was already severely wounded. After a brief clash, this innate Demon Beast, whose strength had been no weaker than Azure Spirit's, met its end, leaving behind only a half-ruined corpse.

"Let's go!"

Gu Sheng wrapped the stone cup in a piece of cloth. After confirming that the Cinnabar Fruits inside were intact, he took Chu Xin and climbed onto the Verdant Python's back. The two humans and one beast soon left the ambush site.

"Yah~~~"

Not long after Gu Sheng left, another tall Iron-Arm Ape leader arrived with more than a hundred Iron-Arm Apes. Seeing the miserable state of the Iron-Arm Ape leader's corpse, the apes roared furiously and scattered in pursuit of their enemy.

At the foot of Iron Arm Ape Mountain, Gu Sheng and Chu Xin rode the Verdant Python, Azure Spirit, back to their residence. The two humans and one beast formed a circle, and under the attention of everyone present, Gu Sheng took out the five Cinnabar Fruits one by one and placed them on a stone plate.

The Cinnabar Fruits were crimson, resembling red apples, and exuded an enticing fragrance. The usually obedient Verdant Python had already begun to grow restless, occasionally rubbing its enormous head against the edge of the stone plate.

"This is yours!"

Gu Sheng divided the fruits among three stone plates. He and Chu Xin kept one each, while the remaining three were given to the Verdant Python, Azure Spirit.

"Roar~"

The Verdant Python, Azure Spirit, let out an excited roar. With a flick of its tongue, the three Cinnabar Fruits vanished. Its body then trembled, and after slowly lowering itself to the ground, it gradually closed its shattered-gold eyes.

"Eat this!"

Gu Sheng handed one Cinnabar Fruit to Chu Xin, then picked up his own and began eating. "Crunch!" The Cinnabar Fruit was not soft like fully ripened fruit. Instead, it was tender and crisp. Gu Sheng took one big bite and swallowed the entire fruit.

The moment the Cinnabar Fruit entered his body, it transformed into a scorching current that surged through his meridians before finally gathering in the dantian below his abdomen. Gu Sheng clearly felt heat spreading through his abdomen. The sensation was extremely comfortable. After those currents flowed into his dantian, its walls seemed to melt and continuously expand!

Sizzle, sizzle~~~

The space within his dantian continued to grow. After roughly half an hour, it finally stopped expanding, and the already faint heat currents dissipated.

His dantian was now shaped like an oval sphere, resembling an egg. This shape caused his Inner Force to begin rotating naturally—vertically, horizontally... One Inner Force Whirlpool after another intertwined, while a single point at the center of the dantian became the core of the whirlpool.