The moment Suanni finished speaking, a savage gleam flashed in his eyes. A powerful aura swept outward as he bellowed, "Come out! Stop skulking around!"
Slightly startled, Shi Teng glanced from side to side.
A giant ape dozens of zhang tall emerged from the nearby woods.
Demon Ape.
This was actually the ancient pureblood Fierce Beast Grandpa told me about, the Demon Ape-a powerhouse on par with the array formation realm.
Before Shi Teng could react, the entire ground began trembling, and another enormous creature emerged from the woods not far away.
"Li Fire Bull Demon!"
Shi Teng froze in shock. Good grief, two pureblood Fierce Beasts on par with the array formation realm.
Shi Teng stood quietly between the Demon Ape and the Li Fire Bull Demon. Their auras alone pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.
Suanni spoke again. "You two curs have been waiting for me to die so you could crawl out and divide up my flesh. Looks like I'll have to disappoint you today!"
The Demon Ape threw back his head and roared. His voice sounded like both an ape's cry and a tiger's roar, shaking the Great Wilderness.
The two Fierce Beasts exchanged a glance, vicious light blazing from their eyes.
The ground shook. Both the Li Fire Bull Demon and the Demon Ape wanted the Suanni Precious Technique for themselves, and neither would yield.
"Roar!"
The two array formation realm Fierce Beasts ignored Shi Teng and Suanni, immediately hurling their enormous bodies at each other.
The Demon Ape beat his wings and rose into the air, bearing straight down on the Li Fire Bull Demon.
The two ancient pureblood Fierce Beasts immediately began tearing into each other. Strange runes flickered all over their bodies, and every blow sent a powerful wave of air sweeping outward.
Standing in front of Suanni, Shi Teng was utterly awestruck.
A clash between powerhouses really was incredible.
Even Suanni was somewhat dumbfounded. He had intended to teach these two ancient Fierce Beasts a proper lesson.
He had never expected them to start fighting before he could even make a move.
He simply settled onto the ground and watched the two Fierce Beasts battle.
"Roar!"
The Li Fire Bull Demon was scarlet as fire from head to hoof, his hide gleaming like satin. He, too, went berserk, runes flashing across his body.
Two beams shot from the depths of the Demon Ape's golden pupils. Accompanied by thunder, they struck the Li Fire Bull Demon, scattering his runes and leaving horrifying bloody gashes across his body.
The Demon Ape screamed as the Li Fire Bull Demon's sharp horns drove straight into his chest.
Scarlet blood gushed out like spring water.
The Demon Ape let out a low growl, but still collapsed to the ground.
The remaining Li Fire Bull Demon was covered in blood and wounds. His eyes were crimson, and waves of overbearing power radiated from his body.
He drove his feet into the ground and charged at Suanni.
A red glow appeared over his head, forming a small cannonball that hurtled toward Suanni.
A bolt of lightning formed between Suanni's two dragon horns and shot forward to meet it.
Boom!
The two powerful forces collided, blasting a deep crater into the ground.
Without pausing for an instant, the Li Fire Bull Demon charged at Suanni again, sharp horns leading the way.
Bolts of lightning formed at Suanni's dragon horns once more and blasted toward him.
The Li Fire Bull Demon dodged swiftly, and the blasts gouged trenches into the ground.
"Roar!"
A bolt of purple lightning struck the Li Fire Bull Demon. His body shuddered, and he immediately crumpled to the ground.
Shi Teng exclaimed in astonishment, "So powerful!"
Suanni snorted softly. "Two fools like you think you deserve my Treasure Bone and corpse?"
Then he told Shi Teng, "All right. To repay you for extending my life, these two ancient Fierce Beasts are yours!"
"This...!"
An inexplicable excitement still stirred in Shi Teng's heart.
These were two ancient Fierce Beasts, and both were fire-attributed. Refining them should strengthen my Scarlet Emperor Fire Emperor Qi.
Without another word, Shi Teng immediately extracted the vital essence and treasure blood of the Li Fire Bull Demon and the Demon Ape, merging them into his second heavenly grotto.
As expected of ancient Fierce Beasts, the fire spiritual power contained within their vital essence was exceptionally pure.
The Scarlet Emperor Fire Emperor Qi circulated furiously. A single spark could set the prairie ablaze.
What had originally been only a small vortex within the heavenly grotto now resembled a vast ocean, blazing with fierce flames.
After a long while, Shi Teng gently exhaled a breath of turbid air, his expression growing serene.
After all that effort, I've finally cultivated the Scarlet Emperor Fire Emperor Qi to minor perfection. Now I can refine all fire elements.
Suanni was lying on a huge boulder, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Every breath rumbled like thunder descending from the heavens.
Streaks of purple lightning flickered around his body.
Seeing Shi Teng awaken, Suanni rose as well. His eyes softened as he studied Shi Teng closely.
He stared so intently that Shi Teng began to feel embarrassed.
Lowering his head, Shi Teng looked himself over. Still as handsome as before. Nothing unusual.
Suanni spoke again. "Kid, if I'm not mistaken, the art you were cultivating just now was the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Ability, wasn't it?"
Shock appeared on Shi Teng's face. "You-you know about the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Ability too!"
Suanni said nothing more. With a slight shift of his will, five heavenly grottoes formed around him on their own, creating a massive five-colored umbrella that radiated a force capable of breaking through anything.
Shi Teng was startled again. "The Five Emperors Canopy Umbrella! You know the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Ability too?"
Suanni dispersed the Five Emperors Canopy Umbrella and shook his head slightly. "This isn't the real Five Emperors Canopy Umbrella. I merely used spiritual power to imitate it.
"Back then, my master, the Yellow Springs Great Emperor, cultivated the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Ability to great mastery. During the Immortal Ancient Era, he established the Yellow Springs Gate and took the title of Yellow Springs Great Emperor. Sadly, he still fell in the end.
"Because I was gravely wounded and already advanced in age, I could only descend to this plane."
Shi Teng's pupils widened slightly. In the original story, Suanni died of old age, and Shi Hao obtained the Suanni Precious Technique. There was no mention of any Yellow Springs Great Emperor.
But that made sense. In the original story, Suanni was already dead. How could there have been any follow-up?
Shi Teng nodded. "Right. Since your master cultivated the Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Ability, you should know some tricks for cultivating it quickly, shouldn't you?"
Suanni chuckled. "The Five Emperors Great Demon Divine Ability is a supreme divine ability from primordial times. Cultivate even one of its arts to great mastery, and you can call yourself an emperor.
"But cultivating all five great divine abilities to great mastery? Easier said than done!
"Still, your talent really is quite good. You have one-thousandth of the Yellow Springs Great Emperor's talent back then. At such a young age, you've already cultivated the Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art and the Scarlet Emperor Fire Emperor Qi to minor mastery. Quite impressive indeed.
"If you can condense the true Five Emperors Canopy Umbrella and open the Yellow Springs Treasury left behind by the Yellow Springs Great Emperor, tsk, tsk... your strength will surely soar into the heavens. Even claiming the pinnacle as a great emperor wouldn't be impossible!"
"The Yellow Springs Treasury?"
At the mention of the Yellow Springs Treasury, Shi Teng's eyes involuntarily lit up. The name alone told him there had to be plenty of treasures inside.
"Forget it. There's no point telling you all this. I simply miss the days when I followed the Yellow Springs Great Emperor in his struggle for supremacy during the Immortal Ancient Era!"
Countless grass-mud horses immediately thundered through Shi Teng's mind.
"Stopping halfway through what you're saying is a good way to snag your balls!"
Suanni's expression shifted slightly. "Hmm? Kid, what did you say?"
Shi Teng jumped in fright and hurriedly said, "Nothing, nothing! I meant, since you've already brought it up, why not tell me where the Yellow Springs Treasury is?"
Suanni was quite straightforward and immediately replied, "The ancient era, the Yellow Springs Demon Sea. The key is the Five Emperors Canopy Umbrella!"
He might as well have said nothing.
Before you continue