Vermilion Fruit

Awoo!

Apes three to four meters tall had their bodies crushed, blood splattering everywhere as their bones were pulverized.

Some of the giant boulders slammed into the ground, blasting out massive craters.

Roar! Roar!

The apes shrieked frantically, their eyes turning blood-red; they knew the enemy had arrived.

Awoo!!

Deep within the valley, the black ape suddenly snapped its eyes open, its gaze filled with violent rage.

It lunged out of its cave and let out a thunderous roar, a terrifying aura manifesting as a pressure wave that swept through the surroundings.

This Ape Leader stood eight meters tall, its beastly claws sharp and glinting with a cold light under the sun.

"Keep going!"

Outside the valley, Liu Tianyu shouted, and hundreds of students skillfully operated the Catapults again. Giant boulders rolled down from the sky, crashing into the valley.

They were well-prepared this time; boulders were piled up like mountains, and they had plenty of ammunition.

Round after round of boulders rained down. Inside the valley, the apes scrambled to dodge, but many were still struck.

The apes hit by the boulders had their bodies burst open, blood blooming like flowers. The blood was thick, and a foul, pungent stench of gore spread through the air.

Yet, this scent of blood only drove the apes into a frenzy.

Some of the apes at the sixth stage of Blood Qi had cold, icy pupils; they met the boulders head-on with their claws, shattering them into pieces, though their arms trembled slightly.

The impact force of the boulders was immense, enough that even apes at the sixth stage of Blood Qi struggled to hold on.

At this moment, the Ape Leader roared, its fan-sized palms slapping out with terrifying force, and it actually smashed a giant boulder to pieces.

The Ape Leader rallied all the apes and charged toward the outside of the valley.

All the apes shrieked, rushing madly out of the valley. During the charge, another large group was struck by boulders, blood splattering everywhere.

This infuriated the Ape Leader. It roared, smashing away incoming boulders while taking long strides until it reached the outside of the valley.

With eyes full of hatred, it locked its gaze onto Liu Tianyu and his group outside the valley.

Seeing this, the corners of Liu Tianyu's mouth curled up.

The Catapult attacks had effectively weakened the overall strength of the ape troop.

Originally, the number of apes in the Ape Nest was about the same as theirs, but now, after rounds of Catapult strikes, only about two hundred apes remained.

Meanwhile, the North Campus side still had over three hundred people.

As long as Liu Tianyu could handle the Ape Leader, the others could use their numerical advantage to crush the Ape Nest!

I didn't expect this Liu Tianyu to be so clever, actually having people build Catapults. No wonder he was so confident! Mu Qing hid in the nearby woods, watching the situation outside the valley.

Beside him, Ji Jia and the others were also present.

They had been here for a while, observing for some time, and were shocked when they saw the Catapults.

Everyone realized that in this battle against the Ape Nest, Liu Tianyu's side would likely win a total victory and obtain a large amount of precious medicinal herbs.

Mu Qing had already spotted many plants that looked like herbs growing on the outskirts of the valley, some shimmering with light, looking quite extraordinary.

"Roar!"

While Mu Qing and the others were observing, the battle had already erupted. The Ape Leader roared and led its underlings in a charge.

"Attack!"

A cold glint flickered in Liu Tianyu's eyes as he shouted. Hundreds of North Campus students charged out, clashing with the ape troop in a chaotic melee.

Liu Tianyu and his few confidants faced off against the Ape Leader and the sixth-stage Blood Qi apes respectively.

In terms of high-end combat power, both sides were nearly equal, but in the battles involving fifth-stage Blood Qi, the North Campus students held an absolute advantage.

Some apes found themselves facing two or three North Campus students at once; within just a few minutes, they were covered in wounds and in a sorry state.

Although the apes were brutal and bloodthirsty, they were outnumbered. Facing wave after wave of attacks, they couldn't hold their ground.

"Let's go! Into the valley!"

Suddenly, Mu Qing's eyes shifted, and he led the group toward the inside of the valley.

The valley was surrounded by woods and tall grass, enough to hide their figures, and with Jiang Yuanjie's powerful sensory abilities, it was enough for them to enter the Ape Nest undetected.

However, they didn't have much time; they had to get out before Liu Tianyu and his group finished the battle.

While the sounds of shouting and killing continued over there, Mu Qing and his group had already quietly slipped into the valley.

As soon as they entered, their eyes lit up, and sharp glints flickered within them.

They saw that inside the valley, beneath every fruit tree, there were strange blue plants emitting a faint glow.

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name was changed!

Everyone hurriedly began picking these blue plants. Mu Qing pulled one out and discovered that the energy contained within was similar to the Touyuan Grass he had consumed before—it was a precious medicinal herb!

Mu Qing picked five of the blue plants, but he realized that if they kept going like this, they wouldn't be able to carry much, as they didn't have backpacks or similar items.

A strange glint flickered in his eyes. Then, Mu Qing seemed to have made a decision; gritting his teeth, he swallowed all five of the blue plants in his hand at once.

A surge of overwhelming energy erupted within him. Mu Qing hurriedly entered the Heaven and Earth Fusion State, frantically refining the energy.

After calming down slightly, Mu Qing exited the Heaven and Earth Fusion State. Despite the energy surging within his body, he ignored it and strode toward the depths of the valley, swallowing every blue plant he gathered along the way.

He kept the Blood Refining Technique running constantly. As the sensation of swelling in his body became increasingly pronounced, Mu Qing gritted his teeth and swallowed yet another plant.

Mu Qing felt a flicker of worry in his heart: would his physical body be forcibly burst apart by such surging energy?

However, to rapidly increase his strength, he had no other choice. Only by possessing enough energy would he have a chance to break through.

Just then, a mysterious fluctuation emanated from his dantian. Immediately, waves of suction force poured out, and the surging energy within Mu Qing's body was suddenly pulled away by more than half.

Mu Qing's expression turned to one of sudden joy; he had not expected the unawakened Blood Spirit in his dantian to actively absorb this energy.

He channeled the Blood Refining Technique, coordinating with the suction force emerging from his dantian to funnel all that energy inward, where it was absorbed continuously.

Mu Qing's eyes brightened. He then began to act roughly, pulling the blue plants from the ground beside him and stuffing them into his mouth.

These blue plants were somewhat bitter, but they melted the moment they touched his tongue.

He strode forward, and as he went, one blue plant after another was plucked and sent into his mouth.

Inside Mu Qing's body, waves of surging energy were being unleashed. He continued to gather and swallow the blue plants until his body had swollen significantly, appearing as if it were about to burst from the energy. At the same time, faint blue gas began to escape from the pores all over his skin.

Ji Jia and the others looked toward Mu Qing, their faces filled with shock.

Ji Jia and Yang Shanshan both wore expressions of disbelief, their red lips slightly parted in utter astonishment.

"This guy Mu Qing... he's so fierce!"

Jiang Yuanjie held blue plants in both hands, and his clothes were stuffed full of them. He looked at Mu Qing with a sigh of admiration.

The group had already run out of space to carry the blue plants they had gathered, yet inside the Ape Nest, the blue plants were as common as weeds—there were simply too many of them.

Ling Fei watched Mu Qing's frantic actions and chuckled. He decided to imitate Mu Qing, stuffing a handful of blue plants into his mouth, intending to eat while he gathered more.

However, the violent energy unleashed within Ling Fei's body forced him to sit down and refine it; otherwise, the blood vessels in his body would be forcibly burst by the surging power.

Ling Fei's face darkened, unable to understand why he couldn't eat and gather at the same time like Mu Qing.

"Mu Qing, are you alright?" Ji Jia asked, calling out to Mu Qing with concern.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" Mu Qing replied, his voice muffled. His mouth was already stuffed with blue plants, and crystal-clear blue liquid was spilling out.

Waves of violent energy caused the blood vessels on Mu Qing's body to bulge, while the suction force in his dantian absorbed it continuously, like a starving Taotie devouring the thick energy.

He gathered the blue plants with incredible speed. Before long, his figure disappeared from the others' sight as he entered the depths of the valley.

"Huh?" Suddenly, in the deepest part of the valley, Mu Qing discovered a massive cave, at least a dozen meters wide.

He walked inside out of curiosity and found it to be very spacious, with wisps of fragrance permeating the air.

Following the scent, Mu Qing reached the innermost part of the cave and immediately discovered a plant. It had a verdant main stem, no leaves, and no flowers; it bore only a dozen vermilion fruits. These Vermilion Fruits were crystal clear and glowing, their skins transparent and their pits resembling crystals.

Mu Qing stared blankly at the dozen Vermilion Fruits before him. In his mind, the Purple Lightning Bamboo swayed gently, giving him a distinct feeling.

Swallow the dozen Vermilion Fruits before you!

He subconsciously plucked one Vermilion Fruit and swallowed it in one gulp.

An incomparable surge of energy swept through him. Even with the suction force in his dantian sharing the burden, the blood vessels on Mu Qing's body still bulged high, appearing as if they might burst at any moment.

The energy contained within this Vermilion Fruit was far too terrifying; it was far beyond what someone at the fifth stage of Blood Qi could consume.

At this moment, Mu Qing finally understood that this was Liu Tianyu's goal. Every single one of these Vermilion Fruits contained terrifying amounts of energy.

It was likely that after consuming these fruits, Liu Tianyu would break through to the eighth stage of Blood Qi.

"Mu Qing!"

At the same time, Ling Fei and the others entered the massive cave. They saw Mu Qing, and they saw the Vermilion Fruits.

"The energy contained in these Vermilion Fruits is beyond imagination!" Mu Qing said hoarsely, enduring the intense pain of the violent energy ravaging his body.

The group's expressions shifted slightly. They had seen Mu Qing easily consume the blue plants without any issues, yet now he was forced to sit down and refine the energy after consuming just one Vermilion Fruit.

From this, it was clear just how dense the energy within the Vermilion Fruit truly was.

"These Vermilion Fruits are no small matter. They must be what Liu Tianyu and his group are after. If we take these fruits away, Liu Tianyu won't be able to break through to the eighth stage of Blood Qi!" Ji Jia said.

The others nodded in agreement. Yang Shanshan stepped forward and plucked a Vermilion Fruit.

Ling Fei also took one, examining it with curiosity.