Spirit Peach

"Esteemed Immortal, you have wronged us! Those demon monkeys truly only underwent this mutation recently!"

Patriarch Zheng's expression changed drastically at his words,

even changing his form of address as he hurriedly explained.

Leaving aside what the families would use to stop the Monkey King's possible revenge if Zhang Qingyuan simply walked away from this matter,

if they were found to have concealed the true strength involved in the mission, their Cultivation Powers would likely lose a layer of skin even if they did not die!

Cloud Water Sect had exceedingly strict punishments for such matters.

"Esteemed Immortal, think about it. If those monkey packs had possessed such strength in the past, our families would have long been wiped out by that Yao Monkey King countless times! How could we have endured until today? That Yao Monkey King must have obtained some unknown fortuitous opportunity. Not only did its strength surge greatly, but even the monkeys under its command transformed one after another into Demonic Creatures!"

Patriarch Zheng hurriedly explained, sweat beading on his forehead.

Zhang Qingyuan neither confirmed nor denied it.

Earlier, while concealed in the shadows, he had observed both sides' strength. The situation was indeed as Patriarch Zheng had described.

This Yao Monkey King had appeared suddenly,

and its strength had skyrocketed within a short time. It had most likely obtained some fortuitous opportunity, which was why it had undergone such a mutation.

However,

this also added endless variables to Zhang Qingyuan's mission.

After all,

since a Yao Monkey King whose strength had rapidly risen in such a short time could appear nearby, might there be even more powerful Demonic Creatures deep beyond the mountains?

He had to guard against such unforeseen possibilities.

Although Zhang Qingyuan also wanted to learn what fortuitous opportunity had caused the Yao Monkey King to undergo such a transformation,

he decided not to wade into these muddy waters.

Keep a low profile.

If he could avoid taking risks, he would not take risks.

Zhang Qingyuan would absolutely not place himself in danger for even the tiniest petty gain.

Thus,

he Cupped His Hands toward Patriarch Zheng and said:

"Patriarch Zheng, since this matter has already changed, I can only return to the Sect first and report it, so that the Sect may dispatch other capable people to handle it."

If a mission underwent changes, one could report it to the Sect and have the Sect send people to resolve it.

Having said that,

he prepared to leave without caring about Patriarch Zheng's reaction.

"Wait, Esteemed Immortal, please stay!"

From behind him,

came Patriarch Zheng's anxious voice.

Night.

Within River Pond Town,

in the secluded courtyard specially used by the local immortal Cultivation Family, the Zheng Family, to receive honored guests,

inside the room,

lit Spirit Calming Incense stood on a table to one side, wisps of smoke lingering like mist, giving off a sense of tranquil cohesion.

At this moment,

Zhang Qingyuan sat cross-legged on a Cushion, holding a Jade Box in his hands.

Inside the box,

lay a fist-sized Spirit Peach in silence.

Its exterior was white tinged with red, like a piece of translucent jade carved to perfection. The fine fuzz upon it seemed like a layer of delicate white gauze.

This was a fifty-year Spirit Peach,

one of the exceedingly precious treasures preserved by the alliance of several local small Cultivation Families in River Pond Town. It was a Spirit Peach that had grown for fifty years, borne by a century-old Spirit Peach Tree growing beside the spring eye of the Micro Spirit Vein in the Spirit Fruit Grove.

After decades of nourishment by spiritual energy, although such a Spirit Item did not qualify as a ranked Spirit Item,

it could still be considered a quasi-ranked Spirit Item.

This peach,

Zhang Qingyuan, a Beggarly Ghost, had never seen anything like it before and could not estimate its value.

Yet Spirit Items such as spirit fruits

could not only provide the consumer with abundant spiritual energy and raise one's Cultivation Realm, but also clear the Meridians and possessed the slight ability to improve one's aptitude.

At the very least, it was no less valuable than the Silver Shadow in Zhang Qingyuan's hands!

"Fine. With a Harvest like this, taking a little risk is worth it."

Zhang Qingyuan murmured inwardly.

Just earlier,

as Zhang Qingyuan had prepared to leave, Patriarch Zheng had hurriedly Stepped Forward to ask him to stay, speaking kindly and promising that if Zhang Qingyuan could help them deal with the Yao Monkey King that had already lost an arm, they would offer up the most precious fifty-year Spirit Peach stored in their treasury.

To show their sincerity,

they had even sent the Spirit Peach from the family treasury overnight.

Their enthusiasm

made Zhang Qingyuan truly embarrassed to leave just like that,

so under the arrangements of the Zheng Family and the leaders of several other small Cultivation Families, he stayed here.

Zhang Qingyuan could also guess a thing or two about

what Patriarch Zheng and the patriarchs of the other families were thinking.

The Yao Monkey King had attacked several times and had clearly remembered that spirit fruit territory, even remembered them "enemies."

Tonight, it had nearly mobilized its entire group, only to smash itself bloody against Zhang Qingyuan.

Even ordinary monkeys held grudges,

let alone these demon monkeys that had already become Demonic Creatures?

If they did not utterly kill the Yao Monkey King,

once Zhang Qingyuan left and reported the mutation to the Sect, and the Sect then dispatched people to investigate, how much time would be spent going back and forth?

If, during that period,

the Yao Monkey King led the Demon Monkey Pack in another attack,

who would be able to stop them then?

Zhang Qingyuan, who could Severely Injure the Yao Monkey King, had naturally become their only lifeline at present.

"To gain fortuitous opportunities and improve, one must After All take some risks!"

After examining the current situation,

Zhang Qingyuan ultimately decided to remain and assist them in killing the Yao Monkey King on the mountain.

For no other reason:

if he turned around and left like this,

then even if he reported to the Sect, the mission would still count as a failure. He would have made this trip In Vain, naturally receiving none of the basic mission reward, while the fifty-year Spirit Peach before him would likewise have nothing to do with him.

Moreover,

after Zhang Qingyuan carefully weighed the pros and cons and reconsidered the dangers of this journey, he found the possibility of danger extremely low.

The chances of other powerful Demonic Beasts appearing in the mountain forest

were actually not high.

Because Demonic Beasts all possessed territorial instincts,

and one mountain could not hold two tigers.

The same principle applied in this world.

Since the Yao Monkey King had already had an arm cut off by him and been Severely Injured, even if there were other Demonic Beasts on the mountain, they likely would not pose too great a threat to Zhang Qingyuan.

If such powerful Demonic Beasts existed,

the Yao Monkey King and its demon monkeys would likely have already been hunted clean. How could they still roam freely around here?

Let Alone,

tomorrow he would not be entering the mountain alone. The Zheng Family and the other Cultivation Families would also send a large force to enter the mountain alongside him.

That being the case,

the danger was reduced by much.

"The Dao Path of cultivation is fraught with dangers. One must walk forward steadily and be even more prudent. Yet one also cannot yield and evade everything; otherwise, one will grow into a flower in a greenhouse, and that will instead be even more dangerous."

Recalling his experiences over these days,

and carefully summarizing them,

Zhang Qingyuan faintly gained some insight within his heart.

Having made his decision,

Zhang Qingyuan no longer thought about anything else.

He picked up the Spirit Peach from the Jade Box

and bit down.

An indescribable deliciousness burst across his taste buds. The entire peach seemed to turn into spirit liquid the instant he bit into it, flowing into Zhang Qingyuan's mouth and stomach.

He devoured the Spirit Peach in a few bites,

and before he could savor its taste,

Zhang Qingyuan sat cross-legged on the Cushion and began circulating the Spirit Essence Inside the Body to refine the Spirit Peach in his stomach.